On the West Coast, the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System at Ranchos Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is the go-to SCI Model System Center for the SCI community. One of the oldest SCI Model System Centers, the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System Program's goal is to support a whole host of important issues, from helping with community re-integration to cutting-edge collaborative research.
The Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System also has resources on spinal cord injuries for both the patient and family. They offer important services to the spinal cord injury community such as accessible transportation to doctors' appointments or their wellness center. To learn more about this important spinal cord injury model system for this region of the US, continue reading about the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System below.
Collaborative Research
There are always several ongoing research projects happening at the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model Center. Currently, they have an independent trial titled "A Randomized Clinical Trial to Evaluate Two Prevention Programs for Maintenance of Shoulder Health and Function after Spinal Cord Injury.”
They also have an independent trial looking at how diet affects people with paralysis. This study is titled "Utilizing a Low-Carbohydrate/High-Protein (LC-HP) Diet to Improve Metabolic Health in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury." They have several joint research projects as well. One is titled "Interactive Telehealth and Biofeedback Sensor System for Pressure Ulcer Prevention after SCI." There also are currently recruiting for this study.
They’re currently recruiting for a trial to evaluate two different programs for physical activity for manual wheelchair users who have a spinal cord injury. This study is titled, "A Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial to Evaluate Two Programs for Promotion of Physical Activity after Spinal Cord Injury in Manual Wheelchair (MWC) Users." If you're interested in participating, click here: https://www.ranchoresearch.org/site-specific-research
Resources
The Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System at Ranchos Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center offers several helpful resources for the spinal cord injury community. One of their most public resources is the official newsletter of the Spinal Cord Injury Model System. Published by Rancho, their newsletter is called “SCI on Rancho” and includes tips on managing your body post-injury and other helpful SCI info.
Rancho is also home to the Don Knabe Wellness Center, a fully accessible adaptive fitness center located within Rancho. This cutting-edge wellness center offers a huge variety of accessible machines and workout options, including adaptive yoga, pilates, Zumba, rock climbing, skiing, and dance. Membership is just $20/month. And if you're seeking guidance from a peer mentor, they also have their KNOWBARRIERS life-coaching/peer mentoring program. This was developed to help the newly injured achieve their rehab and life goals. Their peer mentors staff the Don Knabe Wellness Center.
And lastly, Rancho offers its Rancho Violence Recovery and Prevention Program whose goal is to end violence in the local community (which is the cause of many spinal cord injuries). The program identifies survivors of violence among Rancho patients and helps them through the recovery process. And one of the most popular programs is their Transportation program, which is for those who do not have their own transportation to doctor's appointments. No matter your ability, if you cannot get to your doctor's appointment, Rancho will provide transportation to get you there.
- Learn more: https://www.ranchoresearch.org/scims-welcome
