Whittier Health Network

04/27/2026

"Being pushed is the reward"

Richard Marrone, Jr. was in a bad car accident in November 2025 and was unresponsive in the ICU for 9 weeks. Slowly he made enough progress to transition to Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Westborough in late January.

Mr. Marrone began his journey on the long-term acute care (LTAC) side of the hospital. He was intubated and extremely weak. Fast forward to March 26, and Mr. Marrone moved to the inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF unit). The intense rehabilitation focused on getting him ready to go home. At the beginning of his therapy he needed a 2-person assist for everything from getting out of bed to using the parallel bars in the gym. Step-by-step, and with the advice and support of the staff he was able to make consistent progress.

He described this as a godsend. When asked what he liked best about the rehab here, he said that “they don’t kid around. Therapy comes first always. Being pushed is the reward.”

Last Thursday, Mr. Marrone ended his long journey to recovery by returning home! 💪 He credits his recovery to the remarkable staff and our remarkable facility for making this possible. We wish him the best of luck!

04/24/2026

Thanks to our administrative superstars at Whittier Health Network! Your hard work, dedication, and support help keep everything running smoothly each and every day for our patients, staff, and community. We appreciate you!

04/22/2026

Elaine is our latest “Outpatient Graduate!” She came to the outpatient department at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Westborough for recovery after a stroke. She exceeded all expectations in physical therapy in such a short time, and finished her therapy on Tuesday. 💪

Her wit and humor always brought so much joy to the clinic. We miss having Elaine in physical therapy, and we wish her all the best!

In the photo, Sam M., rehabilitation aide, is on Elaine’s left, and Sam G., physical therapist, is on her right.

04/21/2026

Here’s Keiko, a therapy dog in training. She is almost done with her coursework to graduate as a therapy dog!

She visited Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Bradford with her owner/handler Lesley Galipeau (at left) and dog trainer John Forbes of Great Bay K9. Lindsey, one of our outpatient admissions coordinators, was thrilled to pet Keiko while she was here. We hope Keiko will visit again to complete her training and bring our patients joy on a regular basis! 🐕‍🦺 ❤

04/20/2026

Stephen, Mia and Arnold take part in our Aphasia Group that meets at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Westborough every Thursday, and posed last week for a quick photo op with their Speech Therapist Lauren. This group is about supporting and forming friendships/bonds with fellow aphasia folks. The patients love it and look forward to it every week! ❤

Do you know someone in the Metrowest area with Aphasia? Forward them this link about our group: http://bit.ly/3IFWYA3

04/16/2026

Georgia’s google review is proof that there is life after a stroke. 💪 With hard work on the part of her husband, and the care of an entire team of dedicated professionals at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Westborough, it was possible for him to recover and return home! We couldn’t be any happier for them. ❤

04/14/2026

Lisa’s mom Diane discharged recently from the TCU at Whittier Bradford after her knee replacement. She had a complex recovery but is back home! 💪👏

Here is what Lisa wrote to her coworkers:
"Good Morning, I want to thank you all for the wonderful care, support and compassion given to my mother during her stay at the TCU. We both appreciate it! My mother had a medical complication at the beginning of her rehab stay and had to be admitted to the hospital and she was able to return back to the TCU to complete her rehab and she is now a green tag on her walker! My mother has all positive and good things to say about her rehab stay at the TCU from all the staff, nursing and medical team, her rehab, the food, the cleanliness and of course the private room! I am so blessed and fortunate to work with and be a part of such an amazing and dedicated team.

Thank you again for taking such good care of my mother. ❤ "
Thank you, Lisa McLaughlin, LSW

04/13/2026

April is Medicaid Awareness Month. We hope that our informational blog will help those who might need Medicaid coverage.

Seniors - or people of any age - may find that their financial resources aren’t sufficient when they need extended hospital stays or long-term care. Applying for Medicaid/MassHealth coverage could be a solution.

04/10/2026

We were thrilled to learn that our Speech Language Pathologist Erica Thayer, MS, CCC-SLP has created a monthly newsletter flyer just for our patients at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital-Westborough! 👏

Here’s what Erica said about her idea: "Whittier Monthly was created with both purpose and heart, inspired by a patient who simply shared that he wanted something to read and do while spending time in rehabilitation. As a speech-language pathologist, that idea resonated with me—keeping the mind engaged is such an important part of the healing process. From that spark, this monthly flyer was created as a way to support cognitive stimulation while also bringing a bit of enjoyment to patients. Whittier Monthly features a thoughtful mix of interesting articles with riddles, small puzzles, and word searches to encourage active thinking. The hope is that the new flyer becomes a small but meaningful part of patient’s rehabilitation process during their stay at Whittier Rehabilitation."

Thanks Erica for going the extra mile for our patients!!!

04/08/2026

A BIG THANK YOU to Vintage Grille, The Other Place Pub, and Welly's Restaurant for donating gift cards for our Restaurant Month Giveaways.

The Employee Activities Committee at Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital organized this event in celebration of our amazing employees, and our awesome local restaurants made it possible! 👏❤ The three lucky winners all enjoyed their meals!

04/06/2026

On Friday, we had an Easter egg hunt for patients at the Whittier Bradford TCU.🐇 🪺 Everyone who joined in had fun moving, stretching, and laughing!

04/05/2026

From our family to yours, wishing you new beginnings and hope!
🐤🐰