As I write this, I’m preparing to attend the annual meetings for spinal cord injury (SCI) professionals held the second week of September in Las Vegas. We began hosting these seminars 27 years ago, when we first sponsored the meeting of SCI physicians in the American Paraplegia Society, which was then 23 years old. We then expanded our annual meetings to include nurses, psychologists and social workers, all of whom devote their time to the care and treatment of persons with SCI.
With expected attendance of 1,500, this is the largest gathering of SCI professionals in one place, and an excellent forum for the exchange of knowledge concerning this particular field of medicine. United Spinal Association is fortunate and proud to be able to continue sponsorship of this worthwhile endeavor, which has great potential for enhancing the quality of life for all persons with a spinal cord disability.
Like many of the strides we have made over the years, the creation and growth of these professional associations was fostered by former Executive Director Jim Peters. It’s unfortunate that the timing of the meetings has come to coincide with the anniversary of Jim’s death, for it was during the conferences two years ago that he suffered the fatal stroke that took his life. A lot has happened in the two years since we lost Jim, both in our organization and in the field of SCI care. As an organization, we have changed our name, expanded our mission, increased our membership by over 50%, and expanded our outreach across the country.
The associations, which initially were comprised solely of VA practitioners, currently include at least half as many non-VA staff. I’m happy to report that some of the association members are assisting United Spinal in reaching out to medical professionals not involved in the field of veterans’ health care, and to potential members who are not veterans. Others, of course, continue to serve our members and other veterans with SCI in VA Medical Centers.
While it’s natural to talk about these accomplishments as new initiatives, they are in fact a natural continuation of the work our association has done during its 57-year history, all with the objective of doing what is necessary to make our members’ lives better.
With this goal in mind, we recently conducted a research study among the spinal cord disability population. The group surveyed included individuals with traumatic injury as well as those with conditions affecting the spinal cord. We will be formally announcing the results of the study later this month, but a preliminary look indicates that there is much more work to be done to serve this population. Some individuals receive no assistance at all from organizations such as ours; others could use more help. It is our mission to do all in our power to enable our members to overcome the challenges associated with spinal cord disability and become full and contributing members of society.
So, as much as we have changed over the past two years, our goals remain the same. And although Jim Peters is no longer here to help us, the spirit that guided us for so many years continues.
Gerard M. Kelly
Executive Director
