Casa Colina was founded in 1936 by Frances Eleanor Smith, affectionately known as "Mother Smith."
In a farmhouse in Chino, she created a place to care for young children with polio, and teach them how to
regain their mobility and self-esteem.
In the process, she developed breakthrough therapies for these polio patients. Her work was recognized by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As more medical professionals throughout the country learned about the
success of her treatments, other patients began to benefit from these modalities.
After polio was eradicated by the development of a vaccine by Jonas Salk in the early1950s, Casa Colina
broadened its services to care for patients of all ages with all kinds of physical injuries and disabilities. True to
Mother Smith's legacy, Casa Colina has been recognized throughout the nation as the first to introduce many
of the modalities that are implemented in rehabilitative care today.
It was the first facility to assemble an interdisciplinary treatment team to collaborate with physicians, the first
hospital to manage chronic pain, and the first rehab center to offer a complete continuum of care for those
with brain injuries and other neurological trauma. Today, we continue to share our findings and research with
other institutions - with the hope of helping patients everywhere.
The name "Casa Colina" means, "House on the Little Hill." But to thousands, it has meant so much more.
For a complete timeline of Casa Colina's growth and development, see our
Timeline.
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