Located within the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute, a renowned rehabilitation center in Cleveland, Ohio, is the Northeast Ohio Regional SCI System. This model spinal cord injury system has been in existence for over 25 years and provides a comprehensive approach to caring for people with spinal cord injuries.
From providing acute rehabilitation to their long-term research projects, the Northeast Ohio Regional SCI System is the preeminent option for spinal cord injury rehabilitation in the Ohio area. To learn more about Northeast Ohio Regional SCI System and the research they do, as well as their impressive patient care, continue reading below.
Research
While the Northeast Ohio Regional SCI System hasn't been researching for long, as they were approved for their first SCI research grant in 2016 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, Rehabilitation Research, the research they are undertaking is noteworthy.
Approved for a $2.26 million grant to research over five years, one of their research projects is the "Early Characterization of UE Paralysis in Cervical SCI as a Means to Determine Patterns of Injury and Recovery, Informing Prognosis and Guiding Time-critical Interventions." With this project, they're collecting data to demonstrate the power of upper extremity muscle assessments.
They're also researching methods to reduce pressure ulcers in people with acute spinal cord injuries. Their goal is to design and fabricate a new spine board that will reduce pressure on the body. Additionally, they’re researching bladder function after spinal cord injury, hand movement after spinal cord injury, rehab using noninvasive brain stimulation, respiratory function, and psychosocial abilities after a spinal cord injury.
If you would like to participate in research at the Northeast Regional SCI System, you can contact any of their researchers here (https://www.metrohealth.org/rehabilitation/research/participate-in-a-research-study) to learn more about participating.
Patient Care
If you're interested in the Northwest Ohio SCI System for patient care, you'll find everything you need for the highest level of rehabilitation available to people with spinal cord injuries. Their inpatient rehabilitation center provides physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy, vocational rehabilitation, driver rehabilitation, nutritional therapy, and support groups.
For their outpatient therapy, they offer impressive vocational therapy. They have licensed vocational counselors who will help you develop reasonable expectations for employment. They will assist with career and benefits counseling, job coaching, placement courses, and computer skills training. Work hardening and conditioning support are also offered to help you build up the strength to work again.
And they have an experienced wheelchair and seating clinic to ensure clients have the best seating possible to prevent long-term pressure sore issues from sitting throughout the day.
Finally, family services are also provided by the Northeast Ohio SCI System. They have the Benjamin S. Gerson Family Resource Center to help connect you with community resources. They will also assign you with a certified rehabilitation counselor to meet with you and your family and help make referrals to home healthcare agencies, accessible housing, where to find medical equipment, and more.
- Official site: https://www.metrohealth.org/rehabilitation/research/research-topics/norscis
