HealthSouth Emerald Coast Rehabilitation Hospital's CEO Tony Bennett, along with CEOs from the other local hospitals, announced at the American Heart Association's Annual Heart Ball in March plans to take a proactive step to improve the environment for healthy living by implementing a smoke-free, tobacco-free policy, effective Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 - National Smoke-Free Day.

During the transition to a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus, the hospitals will:
- Offer free tobacco cessation programs;
- Make nicotine replacement therapies and tobacco education readily available; and
- Educate staff, patients and visitors on policies, expectations and their role in supporting the smoke-free, tobacco-free campus

HealthSouth Emerald Coast Rehabilitation Hospital is one of only 18 hospitals and the only hospital in HealthSouth's nationwide network of more than 90 rehabilitation hospitals to be recognized as a Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year.

The Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence internal recognition program highlights the accomplishments of HealthSouth hospitals that have exceeded established benchmarks in clinical programming and patient outcomes for the treatment of stroke.

As a Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence, HealthSouth Emerald Coast Rehabilitataion Hospital has the qualified staff and technologies to assist victims of stroke and their families through the recover process quickly and effectively.