SCI Network January 2004 Newsletter

Spinal Cord Injury Network

Bar to separate page sections, Bar looks like a piece of chain

SCI CONNECTOR January 2004

SCI NETWORK/NRH NIDRR GRANT SEEKS REASEARCH ASSISTANT

The National Rehabilitation Hospital Center for Health and Disabil ity Research (NRH-CHDR) is currently hiring one part-time (50% FTE) Research Assistant (RA) for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on SCI and Prevention of Secondary Conditions. This RA will serve as an SCI Life Consultant and assist the RRTC Directors in the development and administration of several research studies and training programs relating to SCI.

Specific tasks will include the following: nServe as co-facilitator of focus group interviews; nassist in the training and supervision of peer mentors; nparticipate weekly in team and work group meetings; n participate in conference calls and quarterly Web-based meetings; nwork as an educator of medical and physical therapy students in a college environment; n present at a national conference and over the Internet in web-based broadcasts; nassist with the writing and dissemination of research & training findings.

The ideal candidate will have a SCI, Bachelor's or Master's degree in the social sciences, and experience working in an office setting with the Microsoft suite of programs, email applications, and the internet. The SCI Life Consultant will work closely with Steve Towle of the SCI Network on project-related tasks. The person hired for this position will be expected to work at NRH and/or the offices of the NRH-CHDR, located at 1016 16th Street, NW in Washington, DC and occasionally offsite in the greater metropolitan area. Contact Thilo Kroll at Thilo.Kroll@medstar.net for more information or to submit your resume and cover letter.

SCI Network is part of the collaborative effort, which will team NRH clinicians and researchers with other experts in the field from the University of Miami School of Medicine/Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the Independent Living Resource Utilization at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, and our parent organization, the National Spinal Cord Injury Association. The designation of the NRH RRTC by NIDRR provides a $4 million grant over a 5-year period and allows NRH to further extend its research and training efforts.

The RRTC on Secondary Conditions in Individuals with SCI was launched in December, 2003, and will consist of a unique collaborative effort of national leaders in SCI-related research, clinical expertise, support and education organizations, independent living centers, and consumers with SCI. The focus of this RRTC is on further development of knowledge about and/or prevention of selected secondary conditions. .

NETWORK SEEKS PEER MENTORS

The SCI Network will offer a peer to peer training for people inter ested in joining the SCI Network’s Peer Program. The training will be held on Saturday, April 24th, from 12 until 3 PM. People with SCI and related dysfunction, at all levels, are encouraged to attend. The training will consist of a power point presentation and discussion, and will be presented by current peer mentors. The snow date will be the following Saturday, March 13th. SCI Network has had peer counseling, or peer mentoring, in one form or another for over forty years; this training will do much to make the program more effective.

In the Network’s experience, support groups for people with SCI have not been successful. (A support group for spouses/significant others is ongoing; call the office at 301-424-8335 or visit our website at www.spinalcordinjury.net for information.) Our thinking is that people with SCI look for peer support when they are newly injured. As a general rule they then go on with life. Just like many other human beings, they also look for support as issues pop up in life, and leave as the issues are resolved. Both these situations tend to be of short duration, making it difficult to maintain a group for an extended period.

Peer mentoring addresses the demonstrated need, and offers the many benefits of shared experience. Please RSVP ASAP for the Peer training on Saturday, April 24th, from 12 until 3 PM, as we have only twelve spaces available. Please call the office at 301-424-8335, or visit our website at www.spinalcordinjury.net for information. The training is free. All Peers are volunteers. Discussion around reimbursement for meals and miles will take place as part of the training. Renewed, vigorous communication regarding the enhanced availability of peers will begin with local (DC, MD, VA) hospitals, rehabs, skilled nursing facilities, and nursing homes on February 1st. Assuming we have ten peers ready to go April 25th, we anticipate one or two calls for each peer, per month. Will you be there to take a call?

GOLF MARATHON: LINKS TO THE FUTURE

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Network will be holding its First Annual Golf Marathon, Links to the Future, on April 5th, 2004 at Tantallon Golf Course, in Ft. Washington, Maryland. This is an event in which players, experts to newbies, will golf 100 holes in one day. Players will raise money for each hole they play. As you can imagine, there are special rules for a ProFund golf marathon. You need not be a golfer.

If you have never swung a golf club, but care about SCI Network or SCI-related issues and people affected by SCI, you qualify to participate in this event. We need golfers, sponsors, and folks that just want to support the effort with a check. The SCI Network focuses on helping people with spinal cord injury obtain independence and address quality of life issues. These major issues or concerns include securing employment, housing and transportation. Other areas of involvement are attendant care services, advocacy and legislation.

The money raised from our Golf Marathon will allow the SCI Network of the Greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to assist people who have survived a spinal cord injury to enjoy aspects of life that many of us take for granted -- like getting dressed, grocery shopping, doing the laundry, making a meal, getting to work and gaining access to sport and leisure activities. Your help with this very important undertaking will be very much appreciated. If you are interested in supporting the SCI Network, if you are an expert golfer, if you don't know a putter from a plugged ball, or a mashie from a Marshal, we need you. Call 301-424-8335 or email stevetowle@cs.com.

CLASSIFIED

FOR SALE: 1985 Ford Econoline Van, 37,000 miles original - used only for handicapped transport, Wheelchair lift, dark blue, roof slightly rusted. $2,500 or best offer. Call (301)292-3428

Send comments to:SCI Network