Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation
The Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation, established in 1957, is a provincial specialty, tertiary Centre of Excellence. It is recognized as a North American leader in neurological rehabilitation by providing bilingual care through inpatient, outpatient and outreach services.
The Stan Cassidy Centre provides treatment for complex autism spectrum disorder, spinal cord injury, complex stroke, acquired brain injury, and various neurological diseases such as muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, ALS and spina bifida. Clients of all ages from New Brunswick and PEI and complex paediatric clients from Nova Scotia benefit from the centre’s services.
Along with an Edmonton-based rehabilitation clinic, the Stan Cassidy Centre is one of only two rehab facilities in all of Canada that treats patients throughout their entire lifespan, from birth until death. At the age of 18 (or 21 if still in school), paediatric patients are seamlessly transferred to the centre’s adult team to ensure continuity of care.
The interdisciplinary team approach at the Stan Cassidy Centre ensures that all aspects of a patient’s needs are addressed. Medical and therapeutic disciplines collaborate daily to provide client- and family-centered treatment programs. Specialized devices are constantly being designed and manufactured on-site to meet individual patient’s needs.
The Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation is home to:
More transitional living suites than any other rehabilitation facility in Canada
The only rehabilitation engineering clinic east of Quebec
The only accessible driver assessment and training van in Atlantic Canada
The only fully functioning rehabilitation therapeutic park in Canada
The centre is a lead partner in:
The second largest powered prosthetic clinic in Canada—the New Brunswick Limb Deficiency Clinic, run with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of New Brunswick (UNB)
The largest myoelectric control course in the world at UNB’s Wu Centre—run with UNB’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and with the SCCR medical director as its clinic chief
The Fredericton Restorative and Reconstructive Centre of Expertise—with Plastics and Orthopedics at the Doctor Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital and with UNB’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering
The most complex gait lab in Canada, at UNB’s Currie Centre
Over 1800 clients are served by SCCR each year.
A leader in healthcare for disabilities: Stan Cassidy
Stan Cassidy (1912-1993) was one of Canada’s most important healthcare reformers. His overriding goal was to help people with disabilities by improving their quality of life and by becoming contributing members of society. He was at the forefront of social reforms in response to the polio epidemics; in 1957, he opened Fredericton’s Forest Hill Rehabilitation Centre to support modern rehabilitation therapy, change attitudes towards people with special needs and support grassroots medical fundraising.
In 1984, the Government of Canada awarded Stan Cassidy the Therese Casgrain Volunteer Award. Stan was also appointed to the Order of Canada in 1987. After his passing, his supporters rallied together and opened in 2006 the $28 million, 60,000 square foot facility known today as the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation.
An accomplished engineer, pilot and healthcare philanthropist, Stan Cassidy challenged the status quo and spurred healthcare services to be the most humane they could be. His vision continues to inspire today.