As of January 2016, Burke is a member of the Montefiore Health System, Inc. Burke provides inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation to patients with a broad range of neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiac, and pulmonary disabilities caused by disease or injury.The hospital opened its doors on April 7, 1915 and initially treated patients for pneumonia, ulcers, fatigue, cardiac and thyroid disease.Along with medical supervision and treatments, the hospital's early programs also called for rigorous exercise and daily chores.It was one of the first institutions to encourage moderate exercise for cardiac patients, and also help in founding the American Heart Association in 1924.During World War I, Burke was used as a naval hospital and served 2,000 sailors who became known as “Burke’s Navy.” The hospital's services were needed again after World War II when the number and nature of injuries suffered by veterans led to a renewed emphasis on physical and occupational therapies, improvements to prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs, and the development of community services.