RICHMOND, Va. — Rebekah Peterkin founded Sheltering Arms over 130 years ago to help impoverished Richmond residents. Today, it is a nationally recognized physical rehabilitation provider.
Peterkin was born in Berryville, Virginia, in 1849 and raised in Richmond. She was born into a life of service, eventually helping her mother tend to wounded soldiers in the city during the Civil War. Through that experience, she saw people who lacked access to healthcare and decided to take action.
Peterkin founded Sheltering Arms in 1889 as a free acute care hospital for those who could not afford medical treatment. Today, the non-profit organization is widely recognized as a leader in rehabilitative care, ranking among the top 30 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
CBS 6 heard from Sheltering Arms CEO Dianne Jewell, Library of Virginia historian John Deal, and Tony Grubisz, a current patient at Sheltering Arms, about Peterkin and her enduring legacy. Watch the full video report in the player below.
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