The Rehabilitation Trauma Center is an essential and unique component of the overall rehabilitation program. The availability of an intensive care setting as part of the Spinal cord Injury (SCI) Unit and the
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Unit allows for a team of rehabilitation and surgical specialist to provide immediate admission and treatment. The Rehabilitation Trauma Center physicians, with a specialization in spinal cord and brain injuries accept patient’s pre and post surgery once cardiovascular stability has been achieved.
What is now seen as a growing trend for “intensivists” to provide care in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) settings was pioneered at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center over 30 years ago. This approach allows the spine surgeon and neurosurgeon the time they need in the operating room. Overall, the combination of physiatrist and surgeon working together has resulted in worldwide recognition for SCVMC’s Spinal Cord Injury Program. It has also created the preeminent referral resource for spine surgeons in Northern California, Western Nevada, and Southern Oregon.
The Rehabilitation Trauma Center benefits patients by:
- Preventing complications during treatment
- Monitoring the patient’s nutrition and pain
- Integrating rehabilitation into an intensive care setting (the same team of therapists will follow the patient to the acute rehabilitation floor)
- Managing coexistent brain injuries where appropriate
- Providing strong emotional support and psychological intervention
The Rehabilitation Trauma Center benefits families by:
- Providing peer support and psychological interventions
- Educating families about SCI & TBI in a classroom setting three times a week
- Supplying high levels of quality and care
- Providing consistent and reliable care
- Having an exceptionably high level of medical staff responsiveness, which helps aid with the timeliness of patient care