Rancho Los Amigos Foundation
Funded Patient Programs

Rancho Los Amigos Foundation provides private funding for more than 30 innovative Rancho patient programs, many of which are directed by former patients. Some of these programs include:

Adult Visual Arts Program

This program is a year round comprehensive art program for adult individuals with disabilities.  It explores different types of mediums; provides expert instructional time led by accomplished artists; creates a "continuum of creativity", which brings healing and recovery through strengthened self-esteem and the continued refinement of motor skills.  This program is generously supported through a Community Impact Arts Grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Comission.

Don Knabe Pediatric Arts Program

This program provides hands-on experience in The Arts for both inpatient and outpatient youth. Modules include visual arts, music and photography. Rancho's graduate artists are instructors in the program, which helps to raise their self-esteem and opens a window to creativity for each of our young artists.

Performing Arts of Rancho

Rancho inpatients and outpatients share their singing, dancing, comedy and dramatic talents with members of the community and their fellow patients in a series of performances throughout the year. 

Day Rehabilitation & Wellness Center

This highly innovative program provides an enhanced level of outpatient therapy so that Rancho patients who return to the community after their hospital stay continue to progress in regaining as much independence as possible. More than 20,000 patients are seen in the Day Rehabilitation Program each year. The Wellness Center provides a wide-ranging variety of innovative wellness experiences, from nutrition counseling to a resource center and garden plaza to tai chi to dance to full-gym workouts, so that patients can maintain and improve their health.

KnowBarriers Peer Mentoring Program

KnowBarriers offers life experience balanced with clinical expertise, to assist persons with disabilities, in developing the confidence and skills they need to move forward in their lives and achieve their life goals. Programs include Life Coaching, Peer Mentoring, Information and Referral, Violence Prevention Outreach and Substance Abuse Recovery. KnowBarriers has made a tremendous impact on the lives of patients at Rancho.

Wheelchair Sports Program

Rancho’s Las Floristas Wheelchair Sports Program currently involves more than 40 patients in success-oriented, competitive wheelchair sports activities geared to patients with all degrees of disabilities. The program includes basketball, tennis, hockey, arena football, over-the-line, soccer, junior rugby and handcycling. The program has built a legacy and scholarship for more than two decades, with athletes graduating from college at more than three times the rate of other individuals with disabilities throughout the nation.

Therapeutic Horseback Riding

This program helps Rancho patients to improve their balance and self-esteem by riding specially trained horses. This highly successful program provides therapeutic benefits that cannot be achieved in the gym.

Winter Therapeutic Sports Program

Rancho patients learn how to ski and snowboard, which improves balance, provides an outstanding athletic and nature experience and increases self-esteem.

Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology

The Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART) serves the technology needs of persons with disabilities. CART’s interdisciplinary team assists children and adults with physical disabilities in leading more independent lives through the use of assistive technology. The experienced CART staff work together with clients and caregivers to ensure that those technologies recommended are compatible and provide optimal function.

Advanced Technology Robotics

Rancho is at the forefront of applying robotic technology in research and treatment of individuals with disabilities. Rancho established the first robotic program for children with Cerebral Palsy on the West Coast. The hospital is also part of a national study on the impact of robotic therapy using a shoulder robot developed by the world-renowned MIT scientist Dr. Hermano Igo Krebs. Rancho was the first hospital in the Western U.S. to have the ReWalk Exoskeleton robot technology which helps patients with paralysis to walk again. Rancho’s goal is to expand this state-of-the art robotic therapy program to include everyone from children with neuromuscular diseases and disabilities to adults with stroke.

Language and Culture Resource Center

The Center provides translations, interpreting services and diversity training to ensure provision of linguistically and culturally sensitive healthcare services to Rancho’s patients and to help maximize positive patient outcomes.