Hilo rehab facility recognized for improving stroke recovery care

Legacy Hilo Rehab and Nursing has been recognized by the American Heart Association for strengthening stroke recovery care at its 100-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center at 563 Kaumana Drive in Hilo. For Big Island families deciding where a loved one goes after a stroke, the distinction matters because it ties the facility to a structured national effort aimed at making post-acute care more consistent, evidence-based and easier to trust.

The recognition came through the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline Stroke post-acute care initiative, which is designed to standardize how facilities coordinate treatment, educate patients and caregivers, manage clinical care and track quality improvement after the emergency hospital phase ends. The AHA says roughly 800,000 people in the United States have a new or recurrent stroke each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the total at more than 795,000 annually, including about 610,000 first or new strokes. The AHA also says more than 90% of stroke patients experience some form of disability and more than 11% suffer a second stroke within a year.

That makes rehabilitation quality more than a branding exercise. Post-acute facilities do not all have the same expertise or resources, and the AHA says targeted, high-quality recovery, rehabilitation and secondary prevention interventions can improve function lost during a stroke and reduce secondary effects. In practice, that is the difference between a family feeling forced to look to Oahu or the mainland and having a local option that follows a known framework for care.

Legacy Hilo is operated by Ohana Pacific Health, which says it is the largest post-acute care organization in Hawaii. The organization says it was founded on Oahu in 1998 and now includes 17 health care entities and about 1,500 team members. At the Hilo site, it offers short-term rehab, long-term care and specialized clinical services, giving East Hawaii residents a rehabilitation option close to home.

The Hilo recognition also fits into a larger statewide push. In 2024, the American Heart Association announced a $6.8 million commitment to expand stroke care in Hawaii, including a $5.8 million Helmsley Charitable Trust grant and $1 million from the AHA. That same year, the association recognized 67 facilities across four states for post-acute stroke care participation and later honored 11 facilities in Montana, showing the Hilo designation is part of a broader effort to tighten stroke recovery standards far beyond one island hospital corridor.