• Local doctor, medical director for Robertsdale Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, retiring April 30

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Dr. Joseph Steele III received a surprise Wednesday, April 13 when he showed up for his normal, twice-daily rounds at the Robertsdale Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.

Officials from the center, along with Robertsdale city officials and others, were there to honor Steele, who is retiring April 30 as medical director for the center and from his private practice at Providence Family Physicians, which is located less than a mile down the road from the center.

“If I had to use one word to describe Dr. Steele it would be passionate,” said Mary K. Polys, Robertsdale Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center’s chief administrator. “His passion is not always displayed in a serious way, but he has always shown his passion when it comes to providing the proper healthcare for his patients.”

A 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama’s School of Medicine, Steele received his medical license in 1978 and began his private practice in Robertsdale in 1980.

Part of Ball HealthCare Services, which also includes facilities in Birmingham, Selma, Tuskeegee, Monroeville, Haneville, Roanoke and Mobile, Robertsdale Rehabilitation & HealthCare Center opened in 2001 and includes a 152-room long-term care facility, a secure wing for dementia patients and a specialized facility for patients with respiratory issues.

The rehabilitation facility began with 25 semi-private rooms and expanded in 2014 to include an additional 10 private rooms with a fully staffed kitchen allowing patients to receive in-room dining.

Steele was instrumental in opening the healthcare center and became its first – and to-date only – medical director on Nov. 1, 2001.

Clarence Ball Jr., president of Ball HealthCare Services based out of Mobile, relayed how getting the healthcare center opened in Robertsdale was a seven-year-long process beginning in 1993 and how Steele became involved early on in the process after a chance meeting at a local restaurant.

“I believe that the Lord led us to you,” Ball said. “I believe that a facility like this is only as good as the medical staff that support it. This facility has a great reputation, not just locally, but wherever I go and it is because of the dedication of doctors like Joseph Steele.”

The ceremony also included a proclamation from Robertsdale Mayor Charles Murphy, declaring April 30, 2016 as Dr. Joseph Steele III day in Robertsdale, who also presented Steele with a commemorative coin from the city on behalf of Police Chief Brad Kendrick.

Steele and his wife Joy have four children and four grandchildren. They are members of the First Baptist Church of Robertsdale where Steele serves as an educational and missions leader.

Pastor Jeff Copeland, Associate Pastor Richard Hebert and Administrative Pastor Josh Pepper were also in attendance at the ceremony.

“He is a great leader in the community,” Murphy said, “and I am proud to call him my doctor, my neighbor and my friend.”