Fine Arts Exhibition showcases works by artists with disabilities
More than 80 works of art, from paintings to photographs and drawings, will be featured in the Mary Free Bed Fine Arts Exhibition, which opens Monday and runs through June 27. The 35th annual event, sponsored by the Mary Free Bed Guild, will spotlight pieces by 31 artists with disabilities. The exhibition kicks off with […]
Bikes for the Rest of Us draws dozens of participants, volunteers
More than 75 children and adults with physical disabilities were introduced to adaptive bicycling during Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s annual Bikes for the Rest of Us event on Saturday. Each participant was paired with a therapist to determine the necessary adaptations that will enable them to pedal alongside their able-bodied friends. “This event helps […]
Grand Rapids Sled Wings capture national championship
Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Sled Wings clinched its first sled hockey national championship during the 2017 USA Hockey Disabled Festival April 6-9 in San Jose, Calif. The Sled Wings defeated the Colorado Warrior Avalanche, 5-2, in the title game. The Sled Wings, a team of Michigan athletes with physical disabilities, are sponsored […]
Bronson South Haven Hospital joins Mary Free Bed Network
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Bronson South Haven Hospital is the newest member to join the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network, an innovative alliance of hospitals and providers dedicated to enhancing patient care and rehabilitation services throughout Michigan. The network was established in 2011 to extend Mary Free Bed’s expertise and specialized services to other settings, […]
‘Put Your Best Fork Forward’ for National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month, and Mary Free Bed’s nutrition team is excited to celebrate all things wellness. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has selected “Put Your Best Fork Forward” as this year’s theme. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about putting your best fork forward? Bites of food! […]
New Bone Health Program at Mary Free Bed designed to fight, manage osteoporosis
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital has launched a Bone Health Program focused on the prevention and treatment of bone diseases, particularly osteoporosis, that affect millions of Americans every year. Osteoporosis is a startlingly common condition that can affect overall wellness and longevity. About 54 million Americans have osteoporosis or low bone […]
Legacy lives on in artwork donated to Mary Free Bed
Pat Seanor met Larry O’Toole in 1969, when they were students at Grand Rapids Junior College. The young, aspiring artists struck up a friendship that continued until Larry’s death in 1986 following a lifelong struggle with rheumatoid arthritis. Larry was just 34 when he died, but his legacy is preserved in his large scope of […]
Gerber Foundation board members visit outpatient pediatric gym
Members of the Gerber Foundation Board of Trustees visited Mary Free Bed for a first-hand look at its new and renovated facilities, including the Pediatric Therapy Gym, where a plaque is displayed in recognition of the foundation’s generous $250,000 gift to the “Join the Movement” capital campaign. “We have the great fortune as a foundation […]
Arlee Rodgers tackles cerebral palsy with determination and a lot of spunk
Guest blog: Jynel Rodgers shares her daughter, Arlee’s, story and how Mary Free Bed’s pediatric rehabilitation specialists have helped put her on the path to independence following Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery to treat cerebral palsy. Scroll to the bottom of the page to watch her heartwarming video story. Arlee is 7 1/2 years old. She […]
Creativity in the kitchen can inspire healthy eating
Have your 2017 wellness resolutions stalled? Creativity in the kitchen can rekindle and refocus your nutrition goals. Mary Free Bed registered dietitians Jessi Boehme and Joanna Gritter (pictured below, right to left) are doing their part to keep hospital staff motivated with healthy, on-site cooking and recipe demos. Here, Jessi shares guidelines for healthy dishes recently shared […]
Mary Free Bed to offer specialized orthopedic residency program
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital will begin an Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency in September. Graduates from an accredited physical therapy program will have the unique opportunity to perform a post-professional residency in outpatient clinical orthopedics at the fifth-largest, independent rehabilitation hospital in the country. “Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is pleased […]
Mary Free Bed research team awarded $400,000 Neilsen Grant
Grand Rapids, Mich. – The John F. Butzer Center for Research & Innovation at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital has received a $400,000 grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation to compare the effectiveness of two exercise and social engagement programs intended to enhance quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries. “This award […]
Smith family ‘very hopeful’ as 6-year-old recovers from influenza-induced encephalitis
Celebrating the New Year and what the future holds has taken on new meaning for Tesfa and Brooke Smith. The Smiths are treasuring family time with their twin daughters, Amarie and Adalie, since returning to their Big Rapids home Dec. 22, just in time to spend the holidays and welcome 2017. “This year will be […]
New Adaptive Cheerleading Team breaks barriers, builds friendships
The Mary Free Bed All Stars Adaptive Cheerleading team boasts enthusiasm and spirit to spare. The newest team organized by Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports is made up of enthusiastic young athletes with physical or cognitive impairments that prevent participation in able-bodied cheer. “A cheerleading team was a missing piece of our program, and it has […]
Weight Management grads share stories of weight loss success
Expert guest blog: Jessi Boehme, MS, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist at Mary Free Bed. Following is a Q&A with graduates of the Mary Free Bed Weight Management program. The Centers for Disease Control report 70 percent of adults ages 20 and older are overweight or obese. Carrying extra weight can put a person at increased […]
Sault Ste. Marie resident Ashley Lundy shares her story of determination after spinal cord injury
Ashley Lundy is settling in to her “new normal,” since graduating from Mary Free Bed’s inpatient Spinal Cord Program. The Sault Saint Marie, Mich., resident spent seven weeks here for rehabilitation after being seriously injured in a Sept. 23 car accident. Ashley, 23, was evaluated at War Memorial Hospital in Sault Saint Marie before being […]
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center joins Mary Free Bed Network
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Kalkaska Memorial Health Center and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have signed an agreement that supports improving the quality of care for patients and enhancing rehabilitation services at Kalkaska Memorial. The agreement brings Kalkaska Memorial Health Center into the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network, an innovative alliance of hospitals and providers throughout Michigan. The network […]
Therapeutic Healing Gardens a powerful union of nature, science
Therapeutic garden spaces will nurture an atmosphere of maximum healing in body, mind and spirit on Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s Grand Rapids campus. The Mary Free Bed Foundation’s Therapeutic Healing Gardens project includes six separate gardens around campus that will greet visitors and provide healing spaces for patients. “A garden is more than just […]
20 tips for a healthy Thanksgiving
For many, November kicks off the holiday season. Thanksgiving (Nov. 24) is a time to be grateful for all you have and continue to work for. (And also a time to eat more turkey in one day than you do all year.) You can enjoy Thanksgiving and stick to your wellness goals. Jessi Boehme, MS, a […]
Couple’s generosity helps patients achieve independence
Steele and Mary Taylor are long-time advocates of Mary Free Bed and have made substantial contributions over the years that have helped thousands of patients achieve independence. Steele served as a member of the first community Mary Free Bed Board of Trustees when it was formed in 1965 and led fundraising efforts for construction of […]
Parade a tricked-out Halloween treat for pediatric patients
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital teamed with Grand Valley State University engineering students, Owen-Ames-Kimball commercial construction company, the Grand Rapids Police Department, various community volunteers and Grand Rapids parents Chris and Jane Weatherford to make magnificent memories this Halloween for young patients in wheelchairs. Over the years, Chris and Jane have transformed their 9-year-old son […]
Nurses devoted to rehabilitation form West Michigan ARN chapter
Grand Rapids, Mich. – The West Michigan Association of Rehabilitation Nurses is celebrating the launch of its new chapter with a kickoff event on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. The chapter, one of 48 nationwide and the only one in West Michigan, joins the professional healthcare association dedicated to promoting and […]
Otsego Memorial Hospital joins Mary Free Bed Network
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Otsego Memorial Hospital and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have signed an agreement that supports enhancing rehabilitation care for patients in northern Michigan. Otsego Memorial Hospital has joined the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network, an innovative alliance of hospitals and providers throughout Michigan. The network, established in 2011, extends Mary Free […]
Grocery store tours: An expert’s guide to trimming costs, calories from your cart
With tens of thousands of food products available in most grocery stores, it’s good to have a grocery shopping game plan before you hit the aisles. A grocery store tour with a nutrition expert is one way to learn how to fill your cart with balanced meals and healthy snacks. Jessi Boehme (pictured below), a […]
Safety precautions can help prevent ‘life-altering’ injuries from tree stand falls
Hunting is a tradition for many Michigan families and can be rewarding and fun when the proper safety precautions are taken. Each fall, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital provides rehabilitation to hunters injured while hunting, mostly in falls from elevated tree stands. Such falls are often very serious and can result in multiple trauma, complete […]
Mary Free Bed celebrates grand re-opening of hospital
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital celebrated its grand re-opening on Thursday, Oct. 13 in a ceremony attended by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, Sen. Peter MacGregor and Mary Free Bed Guild members, trustees, staff, patients and friends. “For more than a century, Mary Free Bed has demonstrated […]
I have never underestimated my father or anybody else with a disability’
Guest blog: Nicholas Besta, 17, and his family know first-hand what living with a disability is like. That’s why they participate in Mary Free Bed’s peer support mentoring program, which is designed to give patients and their families access to people with injuries similar to their own. Nicholas, whose father, Pat, has used a wheelchair […]
Allan Kozlowski named new Director of Outcomes Research at Mary Free Bed, joins MSU College of Human Medicine Faculty
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Allan Kozlowski will lead outcomes research in the John F. Butzer Center for Research & Innovation at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. The role is a joint appointment by Mary Free Bed and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Kozlowski also will serve as an assistant professor in the MSU […]
Experts share easy, healthy snack ideas for fall
Expert blog: Jessi Boehme, MS, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist at Mary Free Bed. She and other members of the Mary Free Bed nutrition team offer tasty snack ideas for fall. Autumn is upon us. School is in full swing, flannel-wearing is at an all-time-high and we’re savoring those last hot, sunny days. As we […]
Massive blown-glass installation fills Mary Free Bed atrium
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Art plays an important role in the healing process, and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital has an ArtPrize entry designed to glow with positive, intense energy. “Bloom” is the work of Jerry Catania, a Benton Harbor, Mich., artist. The glass and metal three-dimensional piece was created as a permanent installation inside […]