The Time is Now: Shepherd Center Announces Transformational “Pursuing Possible” Campaign

Last week, Shepherd Center announced the launch of its “Pursuing Possible” campaign. Since the hospital’s founding in 1975, a dedicated team of innovators and leaders has sought a better way to restore the lives of patients and families experiencing spinal cord or brain injuries, chronic pain, stroke, and neurological illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain Barré Syndrome. That’s why it has been consistently ranked among the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals by U.S. News since 2008. So, why now? As Shepherd approaches its 50^th anniversary in 2025, it faces a critical challenge: the current demand for Shepherd Center’s personalized rehabilitation outweighs its capacity to provide it.

To continue pursuing all that is possible for patients and their families, Shepherd must strengthen its established foundation and ensure continued world-class care as it prepares for 2025 and beyond.

As Shepherd Center’s late Co-founder James Shepherd said, “Shepherd Center is the bridge between, ‘I can’t’ and ‘I can.’” Shepherd Center invites the community to join the “Pursuing Possible” campaign. With every gift, more patients and families can receive transformative care and find their “I can” moments.   

The campaign will accomplish its goals by focusing on two strategic objectives: increasing patient access and improving the family and patient experience.

Increase Patient Access

Despite continuous growth, Shepherd Center currently turns away several hundred inpatients each year because of limited bed capacity. Similarly, the wait time for many outpatient programs is measured in months rather than days. As such, the first objective is to expand the hospital's facilities so that, for decades to come, Shepherd can provide access to services for all prospective patients when they need it most. We must move quickly to meet these critical objectives:

• Expand inpatient capacity and convert all patient rooms to private ones with smart home technology. 
• Increase capacity for day programs and outpatient services. 
• Centralize and expand the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute.

Improve the Patient & Family Experience

Shepherd’s patient outcomes are widely regarded as industry-leading. Still, we must continually seek to improve the experience we provide to patients and their family members to remain a preeminent rehabilitation center. For that reason, the second objective is to modernize and enhance the services that Shepherd Center provides to both patients and families. Funds raised from the Pursuing Possible campaign will ensure that every experience delivers the best possible outcome and the highest level of post-treatment independence by:

• Increasing the family housing capacity to accommodate the entire length of stay. 
• Expanding the innovation program by launching the new, dedicated Innovation Institute. 
• Educating the next generation of clinicians through growing Shepherd’s fellowship programs. 
• Developing a next-level outpatient service program. 
• Sustaining and expanding donor-funded programs.

Upon its successful completion, the Pursuing Possible campaign will enable Shepherd Center’s most significant and impactful growth since the Shepherd family first founded the Center in 1975. We are grateful to our family, friends, and neighbors for embracing this vital campaign.

Pursuing Possible with Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA 

Explore the exciting plans we have for the future of Shepherd Center, or donate a one-time or monthly gift to help us write new stories for more patients and families.