MossRehab
A Philadelphia-area physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital and service network that developed from the Lucien Moss Home for Incurables.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
MossRehab is a physical medicine and rehabilitation institution serving patients in the Greater Philadelphia region. Its origins date to June 1900, when the Jewish Hospital Association of Philadelphia established the Lucien Moss Home for Incurables of the Jewish Faith. Named for philanthropist Lucien Moss, the home initially cared for people with advanced tuberculosis and later expanded its mission to include other chronic illnesses. Over time, the institution evolved from a residential care home into a specialized rehabilitation organization and became known as Moss Rehabilitation, or MossRehab. A major turning point came in 1961, when the Moss Home moved from its original site to a 124-bed facility on Tabor Road in North Philadelphia. Between 1961 and 1964, it developed into a stroke evaluation and care clinic, reflecting the institution’s increasing emphasis on physical medicine, neurological recovery, and functional independence. This transition helped establish the organization as a contributor to the emerging field of physical rehabilitation rather than solely a provider of long-term custodial care. MossRehab’s clinical and educational scope expanded further during the following decades. The institution established a Rehabilitation Training Center in 1970 and appointed Dorothea Glass, MD, as medical director. Glass was among the early women to hold a senior leadership role of this kind in rehabilitation. In the 1970s, MossRehab also introduced a driver-training program designed to help people with disabilities operate vehicles safely and independently. Its programs subsequently broadened to include inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, traumatic brain-injury services, stroke recovery, mobility training, adaptive participation, and community reintegration. Research and innovation became central to the organization’s identity. The Drucker Brain Injury Center, founded in the 1980s, was described as the Philadelphia region’s first center dedicated to traumatic brain injury care. In 1992, MossRehab created the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute to coordinate existing research and launch new initiatives. Its areas of interest include cognitive neuroscience and rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury treatment and outcomes, movement science, and mobility rehabilitation. In 2009, MossRehab began clinical trials involving ReWalk, a wearable robotic exoskeleton intended to assist some people recovering from spinal cord injuries with standing and walking. The institution also maintains programs focused on accessibility, social participation, and adjustment to disability. Examples include Camp Independence, a week-long camp for adults with physical disabilities; the Clubhouse, which supports people living with disabilities after brain injuries; the Young Empowerment Stroke Support, or YESS, program for stroke survivors younger than 65; and All About Art, which gives patients an avenue for creative expression and displays their work. MossRehab has also participated in They Will Surf Again, an adaptive surfing event in Wildwood, New Jersey. MossRehab’s facilities and services now operate within the broader Jefferson system and are identified in the reference material as Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation. The network includes campuses in Elkins Park and Center City Philadelphia, inpatient rehabilitation units located at several regional hospitals, and approximately 35 outpatient locations. The listed inpatient locations include Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, Doylestown Hospital, Jefferson Bucks Hospital, and Jefferson Frankford Hospital. The organization has received repeated recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s rehabilitation rankings, CARF accreditation for multiple programs, and Magnet recognition alongside other Einstein hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Its present identity combines hospital-based rehabilitation, outpatient care, research, education, assistive technology, and programs intended to support independent living.
History
MossRehab traces its institutional history to June 1900, when the Jewish Hospital Association of Philadelphia founded the Lucien Moss Home for Incurables of the Jewish Faith. The facility was named after philanthropist Lucien Moss and initially served people with advanced tuberculosis. As medical needs changed, the home expanded its population to include people with other chronic illnesses. The organization’s eventual rehabilitation orientation developed in the mid-twentieth century. In 1928, Frank H. Krusen founded the Department of Rehabilitation at Temple University. That department later became associated with the Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program. In 1961, the Moss Home relocated from its original early-twentieth-century site to a 124-bed building on Tabor Road in North Philadelphia. Between 1961 and 1964, the institution became a stroke evaluation and care clinic. This period marked a decisive shift toward specialized physical medicine, neurological recovery, and functional rehabilitation. The organization subsequently adopted the name Moss Rehabilitation, commonly rendered as MossRehab. In 1970, MossRehab established a Rehabilitation Training Center and appointed Dorothea Glass, MD, as medical director. Glass was one of the early women to attain a leadership role of this type in rehabilitation. The organization added a driver-training program in 1974 to teach people with disabilities how to drive safely and independently. This emphasis on practical independence complemented its clinical work and helped extend rehabilitation beyond hospital treatment. MossRehab expanded its neurological and research capabilities in later decades. The Drucker Brain Injury Center was founded in the 1980s and became a dedicated resource for traumatic brain injury care in the Philadelphia region. In 1992, the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute was established to coordinate research at MossRehab and develop new projects. Its stated fields include cognitive neuroscience and rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury treatment and outcomes, and movement science and mobility rehabilitation. The organization became involved in assistive-technology research in 2009, when it launched clinical trials for ReWalk, a wearable motorized robotic exoskeleton. The device is worn around the legs and back and was intended to help some patients with spinal cord injuries stand and walk. MossRehab also promoted accessibility in public-facing ways, including adoption of the New Accessible Icon in 2014. Its social and community programs have included Camp Independence for adults with physical disabilities, the Clubhouse for people experiencing disability after brain injuries, and the Young Empowerment Stroke Support program for stroke survivors younger than 65. All About Art gives patients a creative outlet and displays their work, while participation in They Will Surf Again provides an adaptive surfing experience in Wildwood, New Jersey. MossRehab received recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s rehabilitation-hospital rankings beginning with the inaugural 1993 list, according to the reference material. Fifteen of its programs received Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities accreditation over a three-year period. In 2019, MossRehab and other Einstein hospitals and rehabilitation centers received Magnet recognition for nursing excellence. That same year, Dixie James became president and chief operating officer, described as the first African American woman to hold that position at MossRehab. The institution is now presented within the Jefferson system as Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation. Its service footprint includes facilities in Elkins Park and Center City Philadelphia, inpatient units at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, Doylestown Hospital, Jefferson Bucks Hospital, and Jefferson Frankford Hospital, and approximately 35 outpatient locations across the region. Its modern identity therefore encompasses inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, stroke and brain-injury care, spinal cord injury services, mobility science, professional training, clinical research, adaptive technology, and community programs supporting participation and independence.
- 2019
Dixie James becomes president and chief operating officer
[1]Dixie James was appointed president and chief operating officer.
- 2014
New Accessible Icon is adopted
[1]MossRehab became the first healthcare facility identified in the reference material to adopt the New Accessible Icon.
- 2009
ReWalk clinical trials begin
[1]MossRehab launched clinical trials involving a wearable robotic exoskeleton intended to assist walking after spinal cord injury.
- 1993
First appearance on U.S. News rehabilitation list
[1]MossRehab appeared on the inaugural U.S. News & World Report list of Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation.
- 1992
Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute is founded
[1]The institute was created to coordinate rehabilitation research and launch initiatives in neuroscience, brain injury, movement, and mobility.
- 1980
Drucker Brain Injury Center is founded
[1]The organization established a dedicated traumatic brain injury center in the 1980s.
- 1974
Driver training program begins
[1]MossRehab introduced a program teaching people with disabilities to drive safely and independently.
- 1970
Rehabilitation Training Center is established
[1]MossRehab created a Rehabilitation Training Center and appointed Dorothea Glass, MD, as medical director.
- 1964
The institution develops into a stroke-care clinic
[1]Following its transition between 1961 and 1964, the Moss Home became a stroke evaluation and care clinic and increasingly focused on rehabilitation.
- 1961
Moss Home moves to a 124-bed North Philadelphia facility
[1]The institution relocated to a building on Tabor Road in North Philadelphia.
Products and positioning
A specialist rehabilitation organization combining hospital-based physical medicine, neurological recovery, clinical research, assistive-technology innovation, professional training, and programs for community independence.
Hospital rehabilitation
Inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation
Hospital-based rehabilitation for people recovering from disabling illness or injury. The organization’s clinical scope includes neurological and physical rehabilitation, with care intended to improve mobility, self-care, communication, and independent participation.
Neurological rehabilitation · 1964
Stroke rehabilitation
Stroke evaluation, care, and rehabilitation became a defining part of MossRehab’s development during the 1960s. Related services support recovery and functional independence after stroke, including specialized support for younger stroke survivors through the YESS program.
Brain injury rehabilitation · 1980
Drucker Brain Injury Center
A dedicated traumatic brain injury center established in the 1980s. It represents MossRehab’s focus on specialized treatment and rehabilitation for people whose injuries affect cognition, movement, behavior, and daily functioning.
Rehabilitation research · 1992
Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
A research organization founded in 1992 to coordinate work at MossRehab and develop new initiatives. Its stated areas include cognitive neuroscience and rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury outcomes, movement science, and mobility rehabilitation.
Professional education · 1970
Rehabilitation Training Center
A training center established to support education in rehabilitation practice. Its creation reflected MossRehab’s broader role in professional development as well as direct patient care.
Assistive technology research · 2009
ReWalk clinical program
A clinical-trial program involving ReWalk, a wearable motorized exoskeleton worn around the legs and back. The technology was investigated as a way to help some people with spinal cord injuries stand and walk.
Independent-living support · 1974
Adaptive driver training
A program introduced in 1974 to teach people with disabilities how to drive safely and independently, linking rehabilitation with transportation access and community participation.
Marketing campaigns
- Camp Independence
Greater Philadelphia region
A week-long camp for adults with physical disabilities, designed to support participation, confidence, and independence outside conventional clinical settings.
- They Will Surf Again
Wildwood, New Jersey · United States
MossRehab participates in a day-long adaptive surfing event that gives people with disabilities an opportunity to experience surfing.
- All About Art
MossRehab facilities
An arts program created to help patients respond to and express their experiences of disability. Artwork produced through the program is displayed at MossRehab.
- Young Empowerment Stroke Support
Greater Philadelphia region
The YESS program provides support for stroke survivors younger than 65 and extends MossRehab’s rehabilitation mission into peer and community support.
Brand decisions
2019
Appointment of Dixie JamesOtherBackground
MossRehab operated within a growing network of rehabilitation and hospital services.
Action taken
Dixie James was appointed president and chief operating officer.
Aftermath
The appointment was notable because James was described as the first African American woman to hold the position at MossRehab.
2014
Adoption of the New Accessible IconStrategyBackground
Accessibility representation was becoming an increasingly visible part of disability advocacy and institutional communication.
Action taken
MossRehab adopted the New Accessible Icon and was identified in the reference material as the first healthcare facility to do so.
Aftermath
The decision gave the organization a visible accessibility-related distinction beyond its clinical services.
2009
Launch of ReWalk clinical trialsProduct launchBackground
MossRehab pursued assistive technologies that could support mobility after spinal cord injury.
Action taken
The organization began clinical trials for ReWalk, a wearable motorized robotic exoskeleton.
Aftermath
The program reinforced MossRehab’s profile in rehabilitation technology and mobility research.
1974
Introduction of adaptive driver trainingOtherBackground
People with disabilities may face transportation barriers after illness or injury.
Action taken
MossRehab began a driver-training program focused on safe and independent driving.
Aftermath
The program extended rehabilitation into practical community mobility and independent living.
1964
Shift toward specialized rehabilitationStrategyBackground
The Moss Home had moved to a larger North Philadelphia facility and, between 1961 and 1964, developed into a stroke evaluation and care clinic.
Action taken
The institution expanded beyond its earlier chronic-care role and formally adopted a rehabilitation-centered identity, eventually becoming known as MossRehab.
Aftermath
The change established physical medicine, stroke care, and functional rehabilitation as the organization’s core direction.
Sources1 sources
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