From Summer Estate to State of the Art Rehab
In 1942, The Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Mark bought the 25 acre estate on Chardon Hill from the family of Henry Pickands. Pickands was the heir to the Pickands Mather Company, pioneers in the Great Lakes shipping and mining industries. The order of Catholic sisters began to provide rest home services for residents of the area in the large, white, Neo-Georgian-style dwelling that was on the estate property. Of the fifty sisters in the ministry at the time, some were sent to nursing school to be able to better provide medical care to their patients. The rest home soon outgrew the capacity of the house, and in the 1950s, the Sisters raised money, and built a 100-bed nursing facility in increments. This home was called Mount Saint Joseph.
The Sisters have continuously provided excellent nursing care despite their aging facility. At the end of 2012, through the guidance and hard work of Mother Mary Raphael Gregg, the Mother Superior of the order, they were able to replace their nursing facility with a new, state of the art rehabilitation center. Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home became Mount St. Joseph Rehab Center and now also provides short-term rehabilitation with a full staff of nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. The beautiful facility boasts private rooms, a sunny courtyard, on-site Mass, and daily social activities.
Heidi Shenk
Heidi Shenk has been a physical therapist for more than 23 years. She has just moved to the Cleveland area from Stockholm, Sweden and is now working as the Director of Marketing for Mount St. Joseph Rehab Center.