VA Caribbean Spinal Cord Injury Program

In the month of September we want to raise awareness about

spinal

cord

injuries and that is why we would like to bring information to Veterans and the community, to other Providers about the services offered in the Specialized Spinal Cord Injury Trauma Program.

spinal

cord

. We are an integrated system of care focused on medical and rehabilitative care for veterans who have spinal cord injuries. My name is Carolyn Morales. Jiménez I am a physical therapist and I am also a driver, rehabilitation specialist and spinal cord specialty

program

here in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I coordinate the vehicle rehabilitation clinic and for the last month I have worked with Mike to reintegrate him back into our community.

I saw freedom, I saw freedom. I saw, I saw that. And I was going to be able to reintegrate myself and the community and then myself into the independents that you're looking for. Is incredible. The driving safety simulator is basically a classroom experience where I can see your driving skills, dexterity, muscle strength, coordination, and reactive responsiveness, but in a more conservative space before going out into the community. So in this area we were able to address those concerns. We were able to address those initial deficits and manage them through ongoing rehabilitation before going out into the community.

We have 20 hospital beds, where we offer acute care services to people with new spinal cord injuries, as well as internal medicine care for those Veterans who already belong to our

program

. Additionally, we offer primary care and preventive medicine services, coordinated through an interdisciplinary system in our outpatient clinic. We also have home care services, where we support patients' transition to the home environment, thereby reducing the need for hospitalization where possible. Rehabilitation is an integral part of our goal to help achieve an optimal level of independence and reintegration into the community; Therefore, we not only offer Physiotherapy services.

Occupational and Recreational, but we also implement neurorehabilitation techniques and technological assistance, integrating innovative and one-of-a-kind equipment. Our interdisciplinary care team includes medical doctors, physiatrists, physical therapists, labor, recreational, social workers, psychologists, sexuality counselors, nutritionists, pharmacists, nurses, case managers and driver rehabilitation instructors. It is a privilege and an honor for us to serve Veterans with spinal cord injuries.