Broward Health North staff and leaders enjoyed a reunion with former patients Steven Costerison and Alan Church who received physical and occupational therapy at the Broward Health Rehabilitation Institute.
MARCH 7 2025- After becoming the best of friends while recovering from back and hip surgery at the Broward Health Rehabilitation Institute, located at Broward Health North, two patients returned to the hospital for a reunion on February 26.
Steven Costerison of Pompano and Alan Church from Key West met as roommates while receiving inpatient post-surgical rehabilitation at the Broward Health Rehabilitation Institute. Costerison rehabilitated from back surgery he had at another facility, while Church was recovering from a hip surgery performed at Broward Health Imperial Point.
“Alan and I were admitted the same day, and we had so much in common. We’re the same age, we both love music. We’ve both been married a long time, our wives even have the same first name,” said Costerison. “We became fast friends.”
From left to right: Steven Costerison and Alan Church, two former Broward Health Rehabilitation Institute patients, reunite with the hospital staff and caregivers at Broward Health North.
Both received physical and occupational therapy to learn to walk and safely perform tasks of daily living, from getting dressed to managing stairs and getting in and out of a car.
“The staff were very happy to see Steve and Alan,” said Cheri Silveria, Regional Director of Rehabilitation Services at Broward Health North. “They were quite popular when they were with us and made every day they were here even brighter with their funny banter, singing and laughter.”
While Costerison and Church have remained in regular contact over the phone, they had not seen each other since discharge. After greeting each other, the friends were welcomed by more than a dozen staff members who were excited to see how well they were doing.
“It was really amazing walking in here and seeing all these people. I couldn’t believe all these people were here to see us,” said Church. “That was really touching.”
“We both appreciated everything the folks at the hospital did for us, how they took care of us and the level of compassion and encouragement we received,” said Costerison. “This reunion is yet another great memory for me.”
About Broward Health
Broward Health, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ranks among the 10 largest public healthcare systems in the United States. Nationally recognized for its focus on high-quality care for the residents of Broward County and beyond, Broward Health boasts five hospitals, two trauma centers, a dynamic academic partnership with Florida Atlantic University, was the county’s first statutory teaching hospital and has an ever-growing graduate medical education program. It includes more than 50 health centers and physician practices covering virtually every healthcare specialty.
Broward Health never stops working toward its mission of Exceptional Care, Extraordinary Compassion and Everyday Excellence. Driven by more than 11,000 talented employees and physicians who deliver care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, Broward Health is one of the largest employers in Broward County with an operating budget of $1.8 billion, and annually provides more than $470 million of charity and uncompensated care.
