In 1951, Rehabilitation Institute of Metropolitan Detroit was founded at Herman Kiefer Hospital in Detroit. This was also the site of the Metropolitan Detroit Polio Foundation, which merged with the Rehabilitation Institute in 1953. These two partners soon realized they needed a building of their own to house all their services. As a result, in 1958, the Rehabilitation Institute moved to a newly built hospital at John R and Mack-its current location.

Although the focus of disability has changed over the years, RIM's mission has remained the same: providing quality patient care, academic excellence and cutting-edge research in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Today, RIM is considered a national leader in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. With its 94-bed inpatient hospital and numerous outpatient sites located throughout southeastern Michigan, RIM is also one of the nation's largest freestanding rehabilitation hospitals.