Intensive SCI Rehabilitation Centers

The Spinal Cord Injury Model System

In the US, there are over 400,000 people living with some kind of paralysis. To ensure all their needs are met, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research helped create the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model System. The Administration for Community Living and the US Department of Health and Human Services sponsors this all-encompassing model system for people with SCI.

The SCI Model System is more than just a badge or bragging rights for an institution. It means the institution is involved in important research and they receive federal funds as a result. To learn more about the SCI Model System, continue reading below.

 

What is the Spinal Cord Injury Model System?

young-medical-scientist-doing-research_175487856__squareThe SCI Model System references the brick-and-mortar location of several quality SCI rehabilitation institutions across the country. Currently, there are 14 SCI Model System Centers across the country. These institutions meet the high standards required to become part of this prestigious system. In fact, they must be national leaders in medical research and patient care.

Each SCI Model System Center must provide the highest level of comprehensive specialty services available to someone with a spinal cord injury. This means each institution must meet not only the patient’s medical needs but their rehabilitation needs, vocational needs, the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial, and more.

Simply put - the institution must be there for the patient from the beginning of their injury to helping them reenter the community and they must help learn how to live a full life after their injury. When an institution is able to meet all of these criteria, it is then recognized as an SCI Model System Center by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and they’re awarded a grant.

SCI Model System Research

These grants help the SCI Model System institutions continue their high level of care and it helps them conduct important research that the government needs in order to better help people with paralysis. Taking part in this data collection/research is a requirement of being an SCI Model System Center. 

Each system center must contribute data to the SCI Model Systems Data Center, also known as the National Spinal Cord Injuries Statistical Center. This is operated by the University of Alabama's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The longest spinal cord injury research database in the world, the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center collects, manages, and analyzes the data they receive. Each year they release an SCI data sheet that shares SCI stats such as incidents, prevalence, age at the time of injury, cause of injury, level of injury, and much more. 

They also analyze things like the marital status, the educational level, and other background info of people with SCI. Other data as well such as if someone reenters the hospital after their injury is also collected. If you would like to see the latest facts and figures collected each year from the SCI Model Systems, you can access the stats here.

A Map of SCI Model System Centers

Click on the star for each location to read more about that particular center

City: Denver
State: Colorado

Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Injury System

Out of all the model spinal cord injury systems in the US, the Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal ...
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City: Chicago
State: Illinois

Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System

Located in Chicago, Illinois in the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System. Partnering ...
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City: Houston
State: Texas

Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury System

For those in Texas and surrounding states, the Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury System is the closest ...
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City: Miami
State: Florida

South Florida SCIMS

For those who live in Florida, the South Florida Spinal Cord Injury Model System (SCIMS) is the ...
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City: Brick Township
State: New Jersey

Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System

In a collaboration with the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, a Spinal Cord Injury Model System ...
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City: Birmingham
State: Alabama

University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System

In the South, for those who live in Alabama or near, there is the University of Alabama at ...
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City: Downey
State: California

Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System

On the West Coast, the Southern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System at Ranchos Los Amigos ...
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City: New England
State: Massachusetts

Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center

The Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center is the best facility in the New ...
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City: Atlanta
State: Georgia

Southeastern Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System

For those in Georgia and surrounding states, even for those in faraway states looking for top-level ...
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City: New York
State: New York

Mount Sinai Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Model System

For those living in the New York City metro area and Long Island, the Mount Sinai Spinal Cord ...
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City: Philadelphia
State: Pennsylvania

Regional SCI Center of the Delaware Valley

The second model spinal cord injury system located in Pennsylvania is the Regional Spinal Cord ...
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City: Pittsburgh
State: Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury

In Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury (UPMC-SCI) is one ...
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City: Cleveland
State: Ohio

Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury System

Located within the MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute, a renowned rehabilitation center in ...
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City: Columbus
State: Ohio

Ohio Regional SCI Model System (ORSCIMS)

Headquartered at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio Regional ...
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City: Charlestown
State: Massachusetts

Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center

The Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center works in collaboration with the ...
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