Villa Medica: a story of heart and courage
In June 1964, Dr. Osman P. Gialloreto, Mr. Mendel Reisman and private investors founded the Villa Medica Rehabilitation Hospital, in order to provide the Montreal hospital network with a new type of establishment dedicated to active convalescence.
Villa Medica originally proposed an intermediate approach between acute care and home care, which allowed referring hospitals to reduce the length of stay of their clientele, while promoting functional recovery and the return to an active life in the community.
The government authorities of the time eagerly welcomed the benefits of this new concept and gave their approval to the development which was spread over several years.
From 1971 to today, Villa Medica has constantly adapted and improved its care and services, and has gradually moved towards rehabilitation. The establishment offers rehabilitation services within the framework of the following programs: neurology, orthopedics, amputees and burn victims. In addition, in order to serve a more distant clientele, two points of service are located in the north of the island of Montreal.
Center of Expertise for Serious Burn Victims in Western Quebec
Villa Medica is the only rehabilitation facility in the Montreal area and western Quebec to offer specialized services to people who have suffered serious burns. Its specialized staff has acquired such expertise that, since 2005, Villa Medica has been part of the Expertise Center for severe burn victims in Western Quebec as part of a consortium with the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Montreal (CHUM) and the organization Entraide Grands Brûlés .