Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Announces 2024 Burke Award Dinner Honorees Celebrating the Healing Power of the Arts

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Burke Rehabilitation Hospital will host the Burke Award Dinner on Thursday, June 6th at Westchester Country Club in Rye, NY. This year’s theme, “Healing Power of the Arts,” highlights the transformative impact of the arts in rehabilitation and recovery. The distinguished honorees are celebrated local abstract artist Aimee Hofmann and MedRhythms, Inc., based in Portland, Maine, the innovative providers behind Burke’s Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) program.

The Burke Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Trustees of Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, is awarded annually to individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to the field of rehabilitation. These contributions may be through personal achievements, the development of research, or the establishment of programs and facilities that assist individuals with disabilities. It celebrates not only the overcoming of physical challenges but also the contributions to the understanding and treatment of physical disabilities.

Aimee Hofmann’s art has inspired many with its vibrancy and depth, symbolizing the resilience and strength found in the journey of recovery. Aimee’s impactful artwork adorns the walls throughout Burke Rehabilitation’s buildings. MedRhythms, Inc. has been a pioneer in integrating music therapy into neurological rehabilitation, demonstrating the profound effects of music on the brain’s healing process. Since 2021 MedRhythms has been the sole provider of NMT at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Burke Award Dinner serves as the premier fundraising event for Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, with proceeds directly supporting the hospital’s exceptional rehabilitative care services and the Healing Power of the Arts fund. This fund is instrumental in incorporating art into rehabilitation, providing patients with innovative therapeutic options that harness creativity and expression as pathways to healing.

Burke Rehabilitation is a nationally recognized and accredited not-for-profit healthcare organization that provides leading physical rehabilitation treatment, research and graduate medical education. Burke offers a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services to improve the quality of life for people following an injury or surgery and those managing symptoms from chronic conditions. Ranked as a top rehabilitation hospital by US News & World Report, Burke Rehabilitation has the lowest hospital readmission rates in the country and is the largest provider of stroke rehabilitation in New York. In addition to its hospital in White Plains, NY, Burke has 13 outpatient locations in the Bronx, Westchester County, and the Hudson Valley, with additional sites planned. Burke is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System.

Aimee Hofmann is a Westchester-based abstract artist and disability advocate. At 30, she suffered from the neurological condition, Transverse Myelitis which caused complete paralysis from level T10 of the spine. After learning she would never walk again, art gave her peace during the difficult stages of loss, grief, self-reflection and re-discovery. Art helped her emotionally heal, as well as find joy again. 

Hofmann’s work is also part of corporate collections at Amazon, JPMorgan Chase & Co., HSBC, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Intuit, State Street Bank, Ipsen, BrownAdvisory and Vigil Neuroscience. She has also shown at local and regional arts centers and has been a guest speaker at Harvard Business School.

She is also a two-time hand-cyclist marathoner, swimmer, and guest speaker. As a disabilities advocate, her goal is to continue to create awareness about inclusion and fair representation for people with disabilities.

MedRhythms, Inc. has been the leading provider of Neurologic Music Therapy in the nation since 2013. It exists to restore the lives and quality of life of loved ones with neurologic impairments. MedRhythms focuses on the intersection between music, neuroscience, and technology, providing interventions to achieve optimum outcomes in sensorimotor, speech & language, and cognitive goals in patients.

Burke’s inpatient NMT program has treated over 600 patients, and in a survey of over 100 patients, 95% believed that NMT contributed to their recovery process. The NMT program aligns with the vision of Burke to lead the field as the most effective and compassionate provider of medical rehabilitation by practicing innovative treatment, pioneering clinical research and inspiring education.

In 2023, this innovative therapy program was expanded to Burke’s outpatient department for a continuum of care. Neurologic Music Therapy is a fully donor-funded program and has increased patient outcomes and improved quality of life for countless patients at Burke.

Media Contact: Risa B. Hoag, GMGPR, 845-627-3000, [email protected]

SOURCE Burke Rehabilitation Hospital