Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute or Toronto Rehab is the largest rehabilitation hospital in Canada. Toronto Rehab has six sites located in Toronto, Ontario. By a Special Act of Legislation, on November 2, 1998, the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute was created with the amalgamation of three hospitals. These were:

• Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto
• Lyndhurst Spinal Cord Centre
• Toronto Rehabilitation Centre

Lynhurst began in 1945 as Lyndhurst Lodge to deal with returning Canadian veterans with spinal injuries from World War II. The institution was named after the street of first site on Lyndhurst Avenue in Toronto and led by Dr. Albin T. Jousse. In 1950 it was acquired by the Canadian Paraplegic Association and by 1974 it moved to the current and larger location. In 1998 it merged with several other rehabilitation instituttions to form TRI. Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto was formed in 1997 with the merger of two other hospitals, Queen Elizabeth and Hillcrest Hospitals. The Queen Elizabeth was established in 1874 as a chronic care and long term health care facility. In the 1930s services added included physiotherapy and occupational therapy. By 1970s it became a dedicated rehabilitation institution. Hillcrest Hospital opened in 1886 as long-term care and evolved into a rehab institution the 1970s. It specializes in care for stroke, cardiac and amputees patients needing rehabilitation needs. Toronto Rehabilitation Centre was created in 1922 to deal with long term health care needs of Canadian veterans of World War I.