Offering a continuum of care for medical-surgical services and physical rehabilitation, Casa Colina
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Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare is where better begins. With a 85+ year legacy, Casa Colina continues to lead the way in medical innovation with a beautiful campus and state-of-the-art facilities, including an innovative Medical-Surgical Wing. Whether seeking a specialized surgery or nationally renowned physical rehabilitation services, Casa Colina provides comprehensive treatment plans to accurately address each patient’s unique needs and deliver the highest level of care.
01/21/2026
As Casa Colina celebrates 90 years, we honor the woman who started it all.
Frances Eleanor Smith—affectionately called Mother Smith—founded Casa Colina in 1936 to care for children affected primarily by polio and other crippling diseases. Her compassion, vision, and belief in every patient’s potential laid the foundation for the specialized rehabilitation care we continue to provide today.
Mother Smith’s spirit continues to guide everything we do at Casa Colina.
01/12/2026
This year, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare proudly celebrates 90 years of excellence in specialized medical and rehabilitation care—a legacy defined by clinical expertise, compassion, and an unwavering belief in what is possible for every patient.
From our earliest beginnings to the care we deliver today, Casa Colina has continually evolved to meet the needs of those we serve. Throughout this milestone year, we’ll reflect on the moments, people, and innovations that shaped our journey, while also sharing how we’re preparing for the future of rehabilitation care.
Join us as we celebrate 90 years of care, progress, and possibility.
01/08/2026
Please join us in celebrating Kristin Clayton, our Employee of the Quarter!
For more than 20 years, Kristin has served Casa Colina as an occupational therapist whose compassion, professionalism, and leadership shine through in everything she does. She is known for her selfless dedication, strong relationships, and genuine commitment to supporting patients, families, and teammates alike.
Kristin is a trusted source of guidance for families—a steady presence, a listening ear, and someone they know they can count on. For coworkers, she is an invaluable resource, always willing to share ideas, develop new activities, track down supplies, and stay late to problem-solve when a patient needs extra support.
Her deep empathy drives her to truly understand others and go above and beyond to help them succeed. Families describe Kristin as “amazing,” “very experienced,” and “wonderful to work with my child,” and she consistently lives our values of compassion, respect, and the pursuit of excellence.
Thank you, Kristin, for the extraordinary care you provide and for making a lasting difference in so many lives.
01/06/2026
We’re excited to share that Casa Colina is expanding our outpatient rehabilitation services to Monrovia, CA, with a brand-new center opening early 2026!
Located at 245 West Foothill Boulevard, this hospital-licensed, 7,200-sq-ft facility will bring high-quality physical, occupational, and speech therapy services closer to home for patients across the western San Gabriel Valley. From orthopedic injuries to neurological conditions, our expert, multidisciplinary teams will help individuals regain function and improve quality of life with personalized care and advanced therapy approaches.
Stay tuned for more updates and details as we get closer to opening day!
01/01/2026
Happy New Year from Casa Colina! Wishing you health, hope, and meaningful moments ahead.
12/29/2025
This holiday season, we’re celebrating the heart of Casa Colina—our amazing team! 💛 Your dedication, compassion, and expertise make a difference every day for our patients and community. Thank you for all that you do!
12/25/2025
From all of us at Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, we wish you a safe, joyful, and meaningful holiday season. Thank you to our staff, patients, and community for being part of our mission throughout the year.
12/22/2025
We are proud to recognize Dr. Daniel Skenderian as the recipient of the 2025 Frances Eleanor “Mother” Smith Award—the highest honor a Casa Colina employee can receive.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Skenderian has been part of the Casa Colina family, bringing compassion, innovation, and heart to every patient and colleague he serves. A trusted mental health expert, mentor, and advocate, he exemplifies the patient-centered care and human dignity championed by our founder, Frances Eleanor Smith.
Dr. Skenderian’s dedication to healing — through specialized psychological services, creative programs, and unwavering support of our community — reflects the very best of Casa Colina.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Skenderian on this well-deserved honor.
12/18/2025
Mark your calendars!
Casa Colina’s Gala event is happening March 14, 2026 at the Sheraton Fairplex Suites and Conference Center.
For sponsorship info: 909/596-7733, ext. 2237.
12/09/2025
🌟 Tom Gutzwiller: A Story of Hope & Healing 🌟
In 2010, Tom survived a catastrophic brain injury after being struck by a semi-truck. Eight brain bleeds, broken bones, and a long recovery lay ahead.
With the support of his family and Casa Colina’s expert care, Tom worked through intensive therapies, regained independence, and even relearned to drive using adaptive technology.
Today, he enjoys lakeside living, hiking, fishing, and time with his grandkids — proof that life after brain injury can still be full and meaningful.
Read his full story in Keystone Magazine: https://www.casacolina.org/documents/keystone/Keystone_Magazine_2025_sprds.pdf
12/02/2025
Join the movement happening now! This holiday season, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare asks you to give back to the people and stories that inspire you.
From adults relearning how to walk, speak, or live independently, to children with developmental disabilities reaching important milestones, Casa Colina helps patients rebuild their lives so they can return to the moments that matter most.
Visit casacolina.org/GT25 to be a part of this global movement to change the world through radical generosity.
#2025
12/01/2025
We’re gearing up for tomorrow and hope you’ll take part! Casa Colina is excited to join the global movement celebrating the generosity of donors like you.
You don't have to wait—make your impact today by visiting our donation page and joining others in giving back to the stories and programs that inspire you.
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Where Better Begins
Casa Colina is a non-profit, freestanding, community-governed organization. With incredible support from our community, we have been privileged to bring the benefits of rehabilitation to tens of thousands of people since our first patient in 1938. In the decades that followed, we continued to expand our care to include a state-of-the-art hospital that offers acute rehabilitation and medical-surgical care, as well as a broad range of outpatient services that includes specialized physician clinics, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, neuropsychology, diagnostic imaging, children's services and even an outdoor recreation program for people with disabilities. Our 80-year legacy has been devoted to helping people achieve optimum health, gain independence, and return to the highest level of function possible.
In 1936, Frances Eleanor Smith, affectionately known as "Mother Smith," founded Casa Colina in response to the tragic polio outbreak. In a hacienda-style house in Chino, California, she created a place to care for young children with polio and teach them how to regain their mobility and self-esteem.
In the process, her team developed breakthrough physical therapy modalities for these polio patients. In fact, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized this groundbreaking rehabilitation therapy work. As more medical professionals throughout the country learned about the success of these polio disease treatments, other patients began to benefit from these modalities.
After the development of a vaccine by Jonas Salk, which led to the eradication of polio in the early 1950s, Casa Colina broadened its services to care for patients of all ages with all kinds of physical injuries and disabilities. True to Mother Smith's legacy, Casa Colina has been recognized throughout the nation as the first to introduce many of the modalities that are implemented in rehabilitative care today.
Casa Colina was among the first inpatient rehabilitation facilities to assemble interdisciplinary treatment teams to collaborate with physicians. It was a pioneer in the management of chronic pain, and it has been a leader in offering a complete continuum of care for those with brain injuries and other neurological trauma. Today, we continue to share our findings and research with other institutions - with the hope of helping patients everywhere.
The name "Casa Colina" means, "House on the Little Hill." But to thousands, it has meant so much more.
For a complete timeline of Casa Colina's growth and development, see our Timeline.
