Cardinal Hill began as a hospital for children with polio in 1950. Since that time, it has evolved into one of the premier post acute providers of physical rehabilitation services with 232 inpatient beds. Today, the hospital specializes in the treatment of spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, orthopedic and neurological conditions, amputation and other disabling or traumatic conditions.

Cardinal Hill serves more than 9,000 children and adults annually from all over Kentucky and nationwide. Cardinal Hill provides physical rehabilitation for people needing inpatient, outpatient and home health care services. Cardinal Hill also provides pediatric services for children from birth through adulthood.

Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital opened in 1950 at the height of the polio epidemic as a 50-bed, convalescent home for children with polio and other orthopedic diagnoses. As the polio epidemic declined, the emphasis changed to include treatment of spinal cord injured children and young adults.

With census increasing it became apparent to the Kentucky Easter Seal Society, the Board of Trustees, and the Kentucky Bureau of Rehabilitation that there was a great need for a rehabilitation program for patients with spinal cord injury.

These three groups joined together to plan an expanded program of 50 additional rehabilitation beds. In 1974, the South wing was opened with 50-bed capacity, plus education and training areas.

At this time, the hospital began to treat adults as well as children and began to receive many referrals for patients with diagnoses of stroke and head injury. So in 1978 a new wing was added to house 70 patients; and all patients were moved into that wing.
Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital now serves five major inpatient units including spinal cord injury, general rehab, stroke, brain injury and pulmonary.