Abstract

There is increasing recognition that long-term health maintenance programs serving the individual with spinal cord injury who has returned to his community are necessary to insure endurance of rehabilitation gains. A monthly Spinai Cord Injury Clinic has been instituted at the Medical University of South Carolina to provide specialized and multidisciplinary services on an outpatient basis to residents of South Carolina and surrounding areas who have spinal cord injuries. The clinic is designed to operate in cooperation with the family physician and community agencies. A total of 62 patients were seen in the first year of operation, on an average of 1.7 times each; 80% will continue to be followed through the clinic. Response from the patients, community, and professional clinic staff during the first year of operation supports the utility of this program.