General Questions

• Are the beds for people with SCI in the same area of the facility? (Peer support can be extremely helpful in adjusting to an injury)
• Are there people in the SCI program of the same age and sex as the person considering admission?
• Do the people in the SCI program have similar levels and kinds of spinal cord injury, e.g., quadriplegia, paraplegia, incomplete and complete?
• What is the average number of people admitted annually to the SCI program? (It should be high enough to enable the staff to maintain their expertise)
• What are the SCI program's credentials? Is it accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) or the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)? Has it been designated as a Model Spinal Cord Injury Center by the National Institute of Disability Research and Rehabilitation (NIDRR)? Is the SCI program part of a SCI rehabilitation system operated by the state?
• Are there treatment specialists in the SCI program who speak the primary language of the individual seeking treatment?
• Will the treatment team develop a rehabilitation plan with both short and long term goals?
• Will an experienced case manager be assigned to help family members obtain medical payments and other benefits from public and private insurance?
• Will a team member be assigned to coordinate treatment and act as a contact for staff and family members?