Stroke Rehabilitation, Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Parkinson’s Disease Rehabilitation.
At Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Erie, a typical day is chock-full of firsts. In one room, a stroke survivor practices his first independent steps with a physical therapist beside him. Nearby, a man recovering from a traumatic brain injury is learning how to eat on his own for the first time since his accident. Around a corner, an older patient slowly lifts her arm, celebrating a movement that had been impossible only days before. These scenes are common inside the rehabilitation hospital, yet they remain powerful reminders of the work being done every day.
When patients experience life-altering medical events, the days and weeks that follow are critical. The right rehabilitation — delivered with the right expertise — can significantly influence a person’s long-term independence. During these trying times, patients and their families in the tri-state region have turned to Encompass Health Erie when they needed not just treatment, but hope.
For more than 40 years, Encompass Health Erie has played a critical role in the region’s health-care landscape. What began as a specialized inpatient rehabilitation center in the 1980s is now the area’s most recognized provider of intensive, medically supervised rehabilitation care for people recovering from stroke, brain or spinal cord injuries, neurological disorders, amputation, orthopedic trauma and complex medical conditions.
Since 2019, the 60-bed hospital has been part of the Encompass Health network, the largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the country, with 173 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico — the nearest locations outside of Erie being in Harmarville, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh and Mechanicsburg near York. The network was recently recognized among Newsweek’s “America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers.” The Erie hospital was included in that ranking, which evaluates patient outcomes, quality measures and reputation among medical professionals. These recognitions validate the hospital’s commitment to best practices and add to the hospital’s long-standing accreditations from The Joint Commission — the gold standard by which all health-care facilities are measured — including specialty certifications in Stroke Rehabilitation, Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Parkinson’s Disease Rehabilitation.
EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP
At the helm of Encompass Health Erie is Chief Executive Officer David Markiewicz, MHA, FACHE. Markiewicz, an Erie native who joined the hospital in July 2024, brings extensive experience in hospital operations and physician services. He began his career as an orderly at then-Hamot Hospital (now UPMC Hamot) where he transported patients to the rehabilitation hospital and then went on to earn his physical therapy degree. Over his 30-plus year career, he has held leadership roles at various health systems, including as a clinician, director of therapy and service line director of orthopedics and neuroscience, and most recently served as vice president of physician enterprise operations for Catholic Health in Buffalo.
Markiewicz says that leading the team of approximately 180 employees at Encompass Health Erie, a hospital with such a longstanding regional presence in his hometown, is both an honor and a responsibility. “Our hospital’s really been here for well over 40 years, and we’re committed to serving our patients and our community,” he says.
At the Erie hospital, Markiewicz is joined by a seasoned group of clinical and operational experts. Medical Director David Knight, D.O. — whose physician team includes fellow physiatrist Corey Hickey, D.O., neurologist Kaitlyn Marie Blackburn, D.O. and certified physician assistant Matt Slaughter — oversees the clinical programs and works closely with the therapy and nursing teams to support patients with complex recovery needs. Director of Therapy Operations Maureen Blackman manages the 20-plus person therapy teams responsible for physical, occupational and speech rehabilitation, ensuring that treatment plans address each patient’s functional goals. Chief Nursing Officer Sydney Shorts-Luke supervises the round-the-clock nursing team of nearly 85 employees, supporting patient safety and medication management, as well as the hospital’s onsite dialysis program.
According to Markiewicz, Encompass Health Erie’s entire team is dedicated to providing excellence in inpatient rehabilitation. “We are focused on being the leader in rehabilitation for some of the most challenging conditions that patients and their families will go through in their lifetime,” he says.
A CRITICAL RESOURCE IN THE COMMUNITY
Encompass Health Erie, which operated as HealthSouth until 2019 with ties to the former Great Lakes Rehabilitation Hospital and Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation, opened its doors at a time when inpatient rehabilitation was still an emerging field. Over the years, the hospital has adapted to major changes in medicine, from new stroke interventions to advances in neurological research.
Today, the Erie hospital remains one of the only dedicated options for inpatient rehabilitation in the region. In fact, most of the hospital’s patients are from the Erie area south to Mercer County, and other parts of Northwestern Pennsylvania as well as Western New York and Northeast Ohio border communities. Many patients receive referrals directly from local acute-care hospitals after experiencing a stroke, major injury or surgery. Others arrive after unexpected medical complications that affect their speech, cognition, mobility or ability to live independently.
With Encompass Health Erie, patients who would otherwise have to travel to Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Buffalo for intensive rehabilitation are able to stay closer to home during the most challenging parts of their recovery.
INTENSIVE REHABILITATION
The heart of Encompass Health Erie’s mission is inpatient rehabilitation — a level of care designed for people who need more support than outpatient therapy programs or other medical or nursing facilities can provide.
According to Dr. Knight, “Our purpose is to serve patients who might not otherwise be able to return home. We bring them to our hospital and provide the most intensive rehabilitation available in modern medicine, along with comprehensive medical management from our physician team. We also coordinate community resources, arrange home-health services and train families so they are prepared to care for their loved one after discharge.”
For instance, the Erie hospital specializes in recovery from stroke, one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. Many patients arrive days after experiencing a stroke, still adjusting to sudden changes in speech, strength, balance, vision or cognition. Others arrive after traumatic brain injuries from falls, accidents or medical conditions that cause swelling or oxygen loss.
According to Dr. Knight, the first step in care is understanding each patient’s new reality, since no two patients are exactly the same. Clinicians evaluate everything — mobility, communication, cognition, swallowing, daily living skills — and tailor a program based on what the patient needs to regain as much independence as possible.
Therapy is highly individualized. Encompass Health Erie patients typically participate in at least three hours of therapy a day, five to seven days a week, with additional support from an interdisciplinary team of nurses, physicians, neuropsychologists and case managers.
Therapy Operations Director Maureen Blackman has been with the hospital for more than 16 years and oversees a team of physical, occupational and speech therapists, many of whom hold advanced credentials. In her opinion, a patient’s progress often hinges on consistency, communication and teamwork. “We could have an 18-year-old patient all the way up to a 100-year-old patient, so depending on the person, their family and their caregiver team could look different,” explains Blackman. “The therapists reach out to the family and just touch base, talk about goals, make sure that we know what their prior level of function was and what we’re working toward. The case management team works closely with the primary caregiver, as well as the nurses, and the physicians reach out as able and as needed to give those medical updates.”
Erin Wolf, an occupational therapist and certified stroke rehabilitation specialist at Encompass Health Erie, says collaboration combined with “huddles” of a patient care team can be a difference maker. “We truly have the ability to collaborate with our physicians almost daily, and they’re available to us in teams and rounding so we can discover and overcome new challenges,” she says. This collaboration also includes nursing staff and dietary staff, who may notice something critical to keep patients safe with the end goal of recovery versus secondary complications.
NURSING SUPPORT
Recovery does not stop when therapy sessions end. Many patients require medical monitoring, medication adjustments or specialized care throughout the day and night. For patients with complex medical needs — such as those on feeding tubes, oxygen therapy or with mobility limitations — nurses provide hands-on support while coordinating with other clinical staff to maintain progress and safety.
Chief Nursing Officer Sydney Shorts-Luke, who started as a rehab nursing tech aide eight years ago and who also oversees Encompass Health Erie’s onsite dialysis program, said her team — including rehabilitation nurse technicians, registered nurses, LPNs, infection control and wound care coordinators, managers and supervisors — plays a central role in ensuring continuity. “Nursing is here 24–7,” says Shorts-Luke. “We work 12-hour switch shifts three days a week.”
One of the biggest differences at Encompass Health Erie is the subspecialty expertise and the professional development and clinical excellence of its nursing staff. At the Erie hospital, 19 of the 45 registered nurses are Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses, which is a specialty credential for RNs demonstrating advanced knowledge in helping patients with disabilities and chronic illnesses regain function and optimal health.
Encompass Health Erie prides itself on providing learning opportunities. “We can send staff members to get more education on anything certified, whether it’s brain injury, Parkinson’s or stroke education, so that definitely sets us apart,” says Shorts-Luke.
Katie Hayes, therapy manager, who oversees the brain injury program and is a certified brain injury specialist, and Christine Baird, certified neuro specialist and stroke program manager, say that Encompass Health Erie’s best practices enable the hospital to provide educational support. The hospital also hosts a Stroke Support Group and provides free programming to the community on topics such as stroke, Parkinson’s and neurological-related diagnoses, including a neuro forum held annually each fall.
“Case managers pull families in for education almost right away, so that way they can see not only where this patient started, but also how they’re progressing,” says Baird. “We help with not only hands-on education, but also obtaining equipment, securing a safe discharge plan, which plays into a lot of the resources that we give to our caregivers.”
With average short-term stays of 10 days to up to two weeks, the hospital boasts an impressive success rate of 80 percent to 85 percent of patients able to return to their home; 60 percent on average get home health services.
Yet, behind every statistic are personal stories that highlight the impact of the hospital’s work.
“I had a patient who I treated six years ago show up last year with a big basket and thank-you note, and I thought, ‘Five years later and you still remembered how much being here affected your life in such a positive way,’ ” says Blackman. “It reminds you how important what we do is because we live it every day.”
LOOKING AHEAD
As Encompass Health Erie looks to the future, the leadership is committed to making an impact through community partnerships, modernization and professional development. Markiewicz, who is a member of the Hamot Health Foundation and chair of the 2026 Heart Walk, said the rehabilitation hospital will continue strengthening ties with local health-care providers, universities and expanding educational outreach in the community.
“We’re present,” says Markiewicz. “We care not only about our patients, but we also care about the staff that are here and our community, and we feel it’s important to give back.”
Advancements in neurology and rehabilitation science also will shape the hospital’s future. Encompass Health Erie is one of two facilities in the region utilizing Burt® equipment, an upper-limb therapy robot to work on resistance and range of motion. Most recently, the hospital acquired the Barihab, which helps mobilize patients from standing to sitting. An exoskeleton therapy device developed by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland is also expected to be added soon, along with telehealth technology for consultations and virtual sitters for those patients who require added safety.
In terms of infrastructure, the Erie hospital is also undergoing a transformation, recently investing in a $3-million roof renovation and installing new windows. Next up is an air handler project and moving to a new cloud-based platform from Oracle Fusion, which is expected to streamline employee services.
Encompass Health Erie’s leadership agrees that the hospital’s greatest strength is its employees — from dietary and custodial staff to the medical teams and administration. Continued investment in their professional training and development, and recruitment and retention are ongoing priorities.
“Our employees truly make this hospital special,” adds Markiewicz. “It’s not one person. Every employee has an impact on our patient outcomes.”
Today, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Erie stands as a critical resource for the region — one where patients relearn skills, regain confidence and rebuild their futures.
For more information, visit encompasshealth.com/erierehab.
