Shepherd Center Named One of the Nation’s Top Rehabilitation Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report

July 6, 2006

Contact: Larry Bowie (404-350-7708)

ATLANTA - For the seventh year in a row, Shepherd Center has been named one of the country’s top rehabilitation hospitals in a U.S. News & World Report survey. The annual edition of “America’s Best Hospitals” will appear in the July 17 edition of U.S. News, which hits newsstands July 10.

Shepherd Center ranked #12 among 26 hospitals that earned a spot in the magazine's survey of rehabilitation hospitals, which is the highest ranking Shepherd Center has received since first appearing in the survey in 2000. Last year Shepherd Center ranked #17.

Shepherd Center is a catastrophic care hospital specializing in the treatment of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular disorders and urological problems.

The standards for ranking in the “Best Hospitals” survey are rigorous. Rankings for rehabilitation hospitals are based on reputation among board-certified specialists. To make the list, hospitals must be recommended by at least three percent of the physicians polled. The specialists are asked to name five hospitals they consider the best in their specialty, regardless of location or expense. U.S. News has published “America's Best Hospitals” annually for 17 years, ranking centers in a number of specialties.

“We are honored to rank among the top rehabilitation hospitals in the country and especially proud to be the highest ranked rehabilitation hospital in the Southeast,” said Gary Ulicny, Ph.D., President and CEO of Shepherd Center. "Being included for the seventh year in a row shows that our peers are recognizing the specialty care we offer to individuals who've experienced a catastrophic injury or illness."

Shepherd Center is currently undergoing a major expansion project that will nearly double the size of the hospital. Shepherd Center houses the largest model spinal cord injury program in the country, the largest brain injury rehabilitation program in Georgia and an official Multiple Sclerosis Center, designated by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-Georgia Society. Founded in 1975, the 100-bed specialty hospital offers a continuum of health care services, from intensive care through rehabilitation, transitional care, day program and outpatient services.

About Shepherd Center
Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital devoted to the medical care and rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular problems. Each year Shepherd Center admits more than 700 patients and conducts thousands of outpatient clinic visits. For more information, visit Shepherd Center online at www.shepherd.org.