Jaci Trapani
Jun 2026
I cannot recommend Salude to anyone looking for rehabilitation for a loved one. Before my father-in-law was discharged from the hospital, I received a call from Salude confirming that he had been accepted and that a room would be available that Thursday. Having previously worked there, I was genuinely excited because I believed it would be a wonderful place for him to continue his rehabilitation. Unfortunately, that confidence quickly disappeared. After my father-in-law was discharged from the hospital, he was transported directly to Salude. He was admitted, placed in his room, and we met him there. The first thing we noticed was the unbearable heat. The building’s air conditioning was not working, and there were portable AC units scattered throughout the facility. At no point before his admission did anyone disclose that the AC was out. This was especially concerning for a rehabilitation facility caring for elderly and medically fragile patients. It got even worse. As we left briefly to buy him necessities, we received a phone call saying there was “a problem”—Salude had suddenly realized they didn’t accept his insurance. How does a facility receive all of a patient’s insurance information, approve the admission, coordinate the hospital discharge, transport the patient to the facility, move him into a room, and only then discover they don’t accept his insurance? That level of incompetence is simply unacceptable. When I spoke with Natasha (a worker at Salude) to try to understand what had happened, I expected empathy and accountability. Instead, I was met with rudeness and an attitude. As someone who works as an advocate, I asked reasonable questions and pushed back on the situation. Rather than trying to help, it felt like I was treated as though I was the problem. The proposed solution was even more unbelievable—they wanted to transport my father-in-law back to the hospital by medical transport at our expense. Absolutely not. If we were paying for medical transport, we were going to choose where he went, and we refused to send him back to the hospital because of Salude’s mistake. Thankfully, everything worked out for the best. We found an amazing rehabilitation facility with working air conditioning, compassionate staff, and people who genuinely cared about their patients. If your loved one needs rehabilitation, I strongly encourage you to look elsewhere. Salude has clearly gone downhill since I worked there, and after this experience, I understand why so many of the people I once worked with have left. For anyone looking for exceptional rehabilitation care, I highly recommend Parkside Ellijay. The difference in professionalism, compassion, and patient care was night and day.
