With many student athletes injured each year, HealthSouth Corporation will focus the efforts of its Sports Medicine Council, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) foundation, on providing Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) to junior high schools, high schools and colleges in the United States at an affordable cost. The objective of this program is to make an impact on the care and prevention of injuries, both acute and catastrophic, which can occur daily on practice fields and gyms throughout the country.

"It is estimated that only 6,000 of the 18,000 high schools in the United States can provide their student athletes with proper medical care and athletic trainers," said Richard M. Scrushy, HealthSouth's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "With facilities in all 50 states, HealthSouth can make a significant impact on the healthcare needs of student athletes at all levels across the country."

The Sports Medicine Council's ATCs are healthcare providers specifically designated in the field of athletics. The services provided to junior high schools, high schools, and colleges will include pre-participation physicals; athletic event coverage; injury clinics; clinical education; research; community outreach; prevention programs; referral services; strengthening and conditioning programs; and rehabilitation and treatment programs.

HealthSouth will start the new program with 700 ATCs across the country this month, in conjunction with National Athletic Training Month. An ATC is a skilled professional specializing in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. Each ATC must hold at least a bachelor's degree, complete 1500 internship hours, and must pass an extensive three-part test. Once certification is earned, it must be maintained through yearly continuing education requirements.

HealthSouth is the nation's largest healthcare services provider, with nearly 1,700 facilities in all 50 states and abroad. HealthSouth can be found on the Web at www.healthsouth.com .

Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the preceding statement, all statements in this press release concerning or relating to estimated and projected earnings, margins, costs, expenditures, cash flows, growth rates and financial results are forward-looking statements. In addition, HEALTHSOUTH, through its senior management, may from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates based upon current information, involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. HEALTHSOUTH's actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those identified in this press release and in the public filings made by HEALTHSOUTH with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HEALTHSOUTH's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and forward- looking statements contained in this press release or in other public statements of HEALTHSOUTH or its senior management should be considered in light of those factors. There can be no assurance that such factors or other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements.

  For more information contact:
  Investor Relations: Jason Brown (205) 967-7116
  Media Relations: Public Relations (205) 969-7584

SOURCE: HealthSouth Corporation