AMRPA Honors Medical Rehabilitation Leaders at Virtual Fall Conference
Kent Riddle of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital receives National Leadership Excellence Award, and David E. Storto of Partners Continuing Care & Spaulding Rehabilitation Network receives Edward A. Eckenhoff Memorial Award

(WASHINGTON – October 8, 2020) – During its first virtual Fall Educational Conference & Expo, held October 4-8, the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) celebrated excellence in the field of medical rehabilitation with the attendance of hundreds of industry colleagues and peers. The association recognized and honored Kent Riddle, president and CEO of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, with the AMRPA National Leadership Excellence Award; and David E. Storto, president of Partners Continuing Care & Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, with the Edward A. Eckenhoff Memorial Award.

The AMRPA National Leadership Excellence Award confers association-wide recognition on an individual who has exemplified outstanding service and made significant contributions to the field of medical rehabilitation.

In his presentation of this year’s award to Kent Riddle, Dr. Robert Krug, chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors, said that Riddle “exemplifies leadership, integrity, vision, dedication and excellence in transformative leadership, professional experience and life-long service, as well as advocacy at the state and national level, mentorship of future leaders, improved patient outcomes/quality of patient care, research and critical analysis, and education and advancement of the field.”

The colleague that nominated Riddle for the award explained the impact that he has had on medical rehabilitation as a whole, saying, “Kent is a servant leader and regularly offers to help mentor people both within his organization and beyond. He has channeled his passionate and personal mission that everyone should have access to high quality rehabilitative care and has blended it with his significant business experience in mergers and acquisitions to not only ensure the success of Mary Free Bed Hospital, but also to create the Mary Free Bed Network.”

“He was a driving force in the development of a cutting-edge YMCA to provide adaptive sports to people of all abilities. Through all of these efforts, Kent has accomplished his dream and personal mission of ensuring quality rehabilitation care for all people who need it with humility and grace,” the nominating colleague continued.

Kent first came to know Mary Free Bed in the summer of 2002 after his wife, Susan, sustained a serious brain injury in an auto crash. As he witnessed Susan “get her life back,” Kent was moved to leave a successful business career and devote himself to helping others receive the benefits of rehabilitation.

In a marriage of kindred spirits, Kent became Mary Free Bed CEO in 2011. Since then, the number of employees has increased by 145%. Leading with his heart, Kent has been the motivating force that’s resulted in the creation of new programs, the extension of services and ultimately an increase of 775% in the number of patients served by Mary Free Bed.

Watch Kent Riddle’s acceptance video.

Also presented on the final day of the AMRPA Fall Conference was the Edward A. Eckenhoff Memorial Award and Lecture, established in 2018 to honor one of the association’s founding fathers and a visionary leader in the rehabilitation field.

Announcing David E. Storto as the recipient of the award and lecture, Dr. Robert Krug, chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors, said, “David has demonstrated exemplary skills in the areas of advocacy, public policy, clinical excellence, education and research, and has contributed invaluable leadership and distinguished service to the field of medical rehabilitation. A dedicated contributor to association activities, he is a valued member of the AMRPA Board of Directors and treasurer of the executive committee.”

“David is a true leader in our industry, demonstrating what a successful post-acute continuum of care looks like. He has championed quality and safety in care and has advocated for rehabilitation patients at the national and local level. Because of David’s ingenuity, collaboration and leadership skills, his vision of building a state of the art hospital, Spaulding Rehab, came to life,” said Anthony Cuzzola, vice chair of the AMRPA Board of Directors.

Under Storto’s leadership since 1998, Partners Continuing Care, comprised of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners HealthCare at Home, has been developed as the fully integrated non-acute care services division of MassGeneral Brigham HealthCare based in Boston. He is a trustee of PCC and its subsidiaries, as well as of the Massachusetts General Hospital Health Services Corporation. Since 1998, he has been a member of the Specialty Hospital CEO Group of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA) and in 2009 was elected to the MHA Board of Directors. Storto is also active in several other national and state professional associations and community organizations.

In line with AMRPA’s vision of transforming lives through access to the highest quality of medical rehabilitation care, the association regularly recognizes excellence from industry leaders who contribute to the advancement of that vision during its two yearly conferences, the Spring Conference & Congressional Fly-In and the Fall Educational Conference & Expo.

For information on upcoming AMRPA events, visit the association's website.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Adam Robertson
Marketing Communications Manager
American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association
(815) 901-2632 | [email protected]