August/September 2005

News

By Morgan Tharp

Kansas Man Goes Coast-to-Coast for SCI Awareness

Rick Davidson is towed in his wheelchair on a specially constructed trailer.

The 39-year-old Olathe, Kan, resident decided to put that attention to good use, and set out on a 16-day coast-to-coast motorcycle trip to raise awareness about spinal cord injury. "I wanted to get the attention of the public first and foremost on what needs to be changed or worked on in the health care system," Davidson said.

Davidson, who was injured in a motorcycle accident in 1987, also had personal reasons for wanting to focus attention on the needs of individuals with spinal cord injury: due to changes in his health insurance plan, he must either find a way to cover the costs of his nursing care on his own so that he can remain in his home, or be forced to move into a nursing facility. A $1-million policy he had from before his injury was expected to run out by the beginning of August.

During the trip, Davidson was towed in his wheelchair, which was mounted on a specially constructed trailer, behind a motorcycle ridden by his friend, Rick Bradley. The duo were accompanied on the trip by Bradley's wife, Michelle, an RN, and James Best, LPN, both of whom help take care of Davidson, who requires 24-hour care.

Davidson set out from his home on June 3, stopping in Washington for a meeting at the White House with Vice President Dick Cheney's legislative staff, and President Bush's public liaison. Davidson finished his trip in Burbank, Calif, where he met with Jay Leno and watched a taping of The Tonight Show before returning home.

Davidson returned to Washington the week of July 11 to speak with several members of Congress regarding three bills he says would help others with similar injuries stay in their home environments. "I've had a really good life as a quadriplegic, up to knowing that my insurance was going to be gone. I've lived at home and been able to do what I wanted to do. There are a lot of other people who deserve that opportunity, too," he said.

HR 910, known as the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Support Act, would help individuals choose where and how they receive services. HR 3063, the Money Follows the Person Act, provides grants to states to conduct demonstration projects designed to enable Medicaid-eligible individuals to receive support for appropriate and necessary long-term services in a setting they choose. HR 1554, known as the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act, would expand and coordinate National Institutes of Health activities on paralysis research, and provides federal funding to establish paralysis registries and disseminate information to the public.

After meeting with Davidson, Rep Dennis Moore (D-Kan), a cosponsor of the three bills, sent out a statement urging his fellow members to support the bills.

Conferences to Focus on SCI Issues
Joint conferences by the American Paraplegia Society (APS), the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers (AASCIPSW), and the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses (AASCIN) are scheduled for September 6-8 in Las Vegas.

The three associations are partially funded through the United Spinal Association (USA), which provides grants to help operate and provide administrative support for the organizations.

Stephen Sofer, PhD, program manager for USA, said each conference includes a treatment and a research component, focuses on enhancing professional skills and techniques, and provides a forum for interchange among professionals. The conferences are an opportunity for those in attendance to learn about issues and work related to spinal cord injuries across the United States and Canada.

"Many of the people in our organizations are department heads, professors; they are truly the leaders in spinal cord medicine and rehabilitation," Sofer says. "It's really an impressive event to see that many professionals in one place reestablishing their commitment to what they're doing."

Among the programs scheduled for the APS conference will be a lecture titled "50 Years Progress in Management of Spinal Cord Injury" by Hans Frankel, MB, OBE, an international leader in spinal cord injury. "The progress that has been made in spinal cord medicine has really been pretty phenomenal considering it's not really a heavily funded area, it's not really a ‘sexy' disability, so to speak," Sofer says. "It wasn't in the forefront of people's consciousness … so the progress that spinal cord medicine has been able to make in the past 50 years is really incredible. The future is really very optimistic."

Another scheduled presentation is a lecture titled "Carrying the Torch: Call to Continue the Progress of the Past 25 Years" by Rory A. Cooper, PhD, one of the world's foremost authorities on assistive technology.

Among the programs scheduled for the AASCIPSW conference is a keynote address titled "Adjusting to a Life on Wheels" by Gary L. Karp, who has a spinal cord injury. "One of the things that is important for clinicians to hear is people's experience in rehabilitation, and what it is they got that worked, what they got that didn't work, and what they didn't get that they needed. This is an opportunity to hear from somebody who's been through it, has moved on, and [can] comment on the care," Sofer says.

The AASCIN conference will include a keynote address taking a retrospective and future look at spinal cord injury nursing, titled "Looking Back and Stepping into the Future" by Jo Barr, MS, BSN, RN, and an educational film festival.

For more information, go to www.unitedspinal.org.

Victory Over Spinal Cord Dysfunction "Possible, Feasible," Researcher Says

Stephen Waxman, MD, PhD

Waxman, who is also chairman of the university's Department of Neurology, made the comment during an April presentation on research advancements at the center. Among those in attendance were representatives from the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Yale University School of Medicine. The center, which was founded in 1988, is a collaboration between the PVA, the United Spinal Association, and Yale. Its mission is to develop new treatments, and ultimately a cure, for spinal cord injury (SCI) and related disorders.

During his presentation, Waxman told those in attendance that researchers were moving closer to "victory in our battle against spinal cord dysfunction." Among the "firsts" contributed to the field by Waxman—who is also director of the VA Rehabilitation R&D Center for Restoration of Function in MS and SCI, in West Haven—and his research team are the demonstration of the molecular basis for remissions in MS; demonstration of a population of nerve fibers that maintains continuity, but fails to function due to loss of myelin in SCI; molecular dissection of nerve fibers within the normal and injured spinal cord; identification of the molecules that trigger degeneration of spinal cord axons; demonstration of the molecular basis for pain after SCI; use of novel molecular methods to reduce pain after injury to the spinal cord; demonstration that cell transplantation can enhance nerve impulse conduction in the injured spinal cord; the first demonstration that bone marrow stem cells—introduced intravenously—can protect the injured brain and spinal cord; and the first human study on transplantation of myelin-forming cells into the injured nervous system.

Some of the areas Waxman and his research team are currently investigating include the study of the molecular basis for recovery of function after SCI and multiple sclerosis; identification of cell-based strategies for restoration of function after nerve injury; the study of why spinal cord neurons degenerate, and how they can be regenerated; the study of death and protection of cortical motor neurons; preservation and restoration of neurological function after injury; and neuropathic pain and related pain syndromes that follow in SCI, MS, and related disorders.

Hoover Joins Medical Products, Assistive Technology Manufacturer
Michael Hammes, chairman and CEO of Sunrise Medical, Carlsbad, Calif, recently announced that Robert Hoover, MD, is joining the company as senior vice president of global clinical services.

"Our goal has been, and continues to be, to improve people's lives through high quality, innovative technology and services. We have taken this mission very seriously for almost 25 years," Hammes said. "But there is still more we can do. We can get even better at incorporating consumer and clinical needs into our offerings and into the funding landscape that is allowed. We strongly believe that having a focused effort and really partnering with providers, physicians, clinicians, and the associations will positively influence what we are doing at Sunrise, and ultimately advance our knowledge of how to do it better with all stakeholders in mind."

Hoover brings extensive experience, knowledge, and relationships with medical professionals to his new position. He has spent the past 7 years at CIGNA as the Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier (DMERC) medical director for Region D. Hoover earned a medical degree from the University of South Alabama, and went on to do his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, specializing in internal medicine. He remains an assistant clinical professor at the university.

In his new role with Sunrise, Hoover will report directly to Hammes. Sunrise Medical manufactures and markets medical products and assistive technology devices that address the recovery, rehabilitation, and mobility needs of consumers in institutional and home care settings. The company's products are distributed in more than 100 countries around the world.

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