Our History
More than a century ago, Sheltering Arms began as the vision of a young woman named Rebekah Peterkin who made it her mission to help individuals in Richmond, Virginia who could not afford to pay for healthcare. On February 13, 1889, with the help of her sewing circle and a few community allies, she realized her dream in the form of a free acute hospital: Sheltering Arms Hospital.
Though Ms. Peterkin died two years later, her friends remained committed to her dream. Local physicians and nurses gave their time to see patients and an executive board of ladies devoted their hearts and their time to keeping it running. They sought funds and supplies from those who could spare them and made the hospital’s first blankets by sewing newspapers inside cotton covers.
By 1894, the free hospital moved to Clay Street, near what is now the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. Here, Sheltering Arms was firmly established in Richmond, and patients traveled from across Virginia to receive the best care possible. The Clay Street location served the community for more than 70 years until the organization expanded and built a new hospital north of its original location.
Continually looking for ways to meet the healthcare needs of the community, Sheltering Arms leadership began to scrutinize the healthcare environment of the late 1970s. With other acute care hospitals emerging to serve the community, Sheltering Arms discovered an unmet need and made the decision to specialize in physical rehabilitation.
In January of 1981, Sheltering Arms became the first private free-standing physical rehabilitation hospital in Virginia. Though our specialty changed, our dedication to meeting the healthcare needs of the community continued.
Throughout the years, Sheltering Arms grew to include inpatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation centers around Central Virginia, including launching fitness and recreation programs in the early 1990s to help individuals in our community exercise safely and engage in a healthy lifestyle.
In 2016, Sheltering Arms and VCU Health System joined forces to announce plans for a new, state-of-the-science physical rehabilitation hospital called Sheltering Arms Institute, a collaboration with VCU Health. A year later, the two parent organizations’ application for a certificate of public need was approved to combine beds from Sheltering Arms’ two former inpatient facilities and VCU Health System’s former inpatient facility.
In 2020, Sheltering Arms Institute opened its doors to provide care for individuals who have survived strokes, spinal cord injuries, or brain injuries, as well as those in need of general rehabilitation for orthopedic conditions and various neurological diseases and disorders. As a non-profit, state-of-the-science destination inpatient rehabilitation hospital and network of outpatient centers, the Institute blends advanced technology, research, and evidence-based clinical care to create an innovative, transdisciplinary model of rehabilitative care facilitating superior outcomes for patients.
Today, the Sheltering Arms ecosystem remains as unique as our history. Sheltering Arms Institute is a nationally ranked physical rehabilitation provider while Sheltering Arms provides an array of adaptive and medical fitness, wellness, and recreation services.
Offering a full continuum of rehabilitation and health and wellness services with state-of-the-science technology, evidence-based recovery programs, expert staff, and modern facilities, we remain committed to helping all patients find the power to overcome the obstacles of injury and illness.