For the more than 40 patients annually who find themselves coping with the emotional and physical fallout of having a spinal cord injury, the recently opened Center for Spinal Cord Injury offers hope for a better quality of life.

For the medical professionals who want to help these patients achieve that, the center represents a way to see what will happen joining the collaborative efforts of Roper Rehabilitation Hospital, MUSC Health, Carolinas Rehabilitation and the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund (SCIRF).

The center officially opened July 15 in the sixth floor rehabilitation gym at Roper Hospital, offering several treatments for patients with spinal cord injuries, including physician assessments, lab work, physical therapy, occupational therapy and case management.

MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., said patients with spinal cord injuries often have a range of health care needs that are difficult for any single health care system to meet.

"By combining the resources of the partners, we are able to better serve the needs of these patients. Not only will we reduce costs by avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort, we will improve the quality of care provided. This is a win for the community, a win for the health systems, and a win for the patients. We expect this collaboration to set a precedent for how we can work together in other areas as well."

David L. Dunlap, Roper St. Francis Healthcare President and CEO, agrees.

"This new center and our successful collaboration represent an important step forward in the treatment for spinal cord injury patients," he said. "This innovative clinic not only fills a void for hundreds of patients in the region, but also demonstrates the value of what our medical community can achieve by working together for our patients."

The Tri-county area averages 43 new spiral cord injury cases per year with about 1,000 people in the area living with spinal cord injury, according to Nancey Tsai, M.D., a board-certified physiatrist and medical director for CSCI. "Too often, when a person with spinal cord injury needs medical care, they find themselves in a system that's difficult to navigate because not all health care providers have access to specialized equipment and training to treat the unique needs of this population," Tsai said.

MUSC researcher Dr. Mark Bowden assists Charles Cole at MUSC's Center for Rehabilitation Research in Neurological Conditions at 77 President St. Bowden's excited about how the Center for Spinal Cord Injury will open up opportunities for research collaborations.

Charles T. Cole Jr., a retired bank executive and longtime active member in the Charleston community, has seen firsthand the importance of offering spinal cord injury patients a central place to receive care. Cole, who was left with a devastating spinal cord injury following a fall in 2008, felt fortunate to have received treatment from both Roper St. Francis and MUSC and wanted others to have the same opportunity. He and his wife, Joanne, worked with the three hospitals and SCIRF to successfully initiate efforts to establish the Center for Spinal Cord Injury.

"Sitting in a wheelchair, immobilized, I had a lot of time to think, a lot of time to reflect on how I could turn this injury into something that would help others who have similar conditions," Cole said. "This center represents a dream and a vision that these three hospital communities can collaborate for the common good of spinal cord injury patients.
James S. Krause, Ph.D., associate dean for research at MUSC's College of Health Professions and scientific director for SCIRF, said the grand opening is the culmination of years of planning and marks a time of celebration.

"It is essential to have high quality clinical services in the Lowcountry where they are readily accessible to those with spinal cord injury," he said. "Having outstanding services and follow-up care is essential to health and well-being after a spinal cord injury. "

The Center for Spinal Cord Injury comprises a team of medical specialists from Roper Rehab and MUSC Health, including neurology, pain management, pulmonology, urology, endocrinology, gynecology and gastroenterology.
Other team members include certified rehabilitation nurses, a wound care nurse, certified wheelchair and orthotics specialists, a pharmacist, a registered dietitian and board certified spinal cord injury physiatrists. Physician and nursing assessments, lab work, physical and occupational therapy evaluation and case management are among services that will be offered.

Carolinas Rehabilitation served as a model in shaping the Center for Spinal Cord Injury. One of the board certified physiatrists (a medical doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation) will travel regularly to Charleston to lend expertise consultation.

Initially, the CSCI will be open on the third Friday of each month and will treat 10 patients on a single day, with most patients requiring four or more hours of screening, instruction and treatment. Additional clinic days and times will be added as the center grows.