Spinal Injuries Ireland unites with The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to advance the mission of providing care to the Spinal Cord Injury Community
New care alliance designed to foster connections
DUBLIN, IRELAND and SHORT HILLS, N.J., April 29, 2021 – Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced today a new alliance to cultivate connections and expand support for the spinal cord injury community. This collaboration will foster sharing of best practices, expand services and educational content, and enable joint fundraising opportunities in the U.S. and Ireland. As the alliance kicks off, the focus will be on peer mentoring, a flagship service of both organisations.
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. Their National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC), offers comprehensive information, resources, and referral services for the community to achieve a better quality of life. SII’s mission is to engage, people with a spinal cord injury, along with their family members and together, address barriers to full participation in society and empower their service users to work towards achieving personal, social and vocational goals once again.
“Spinal Injuries Ireland is delighted to partner with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to advance the mission of providing the best care post injury in the community for people who have sustained a life changing injury. To date both organisations have shared best practice in a number of services and in addition our collaboration will allow SII to participate and fund future research projects with Reeve and other partners to accelerate research in to therapies and a cure for spinal cord injury” commented Fiona Bolger, CEO of SII.
“The mission of our PRC is to foster involvement in the community, promote health and improve quality of life,” said Maggie Goldberg, President, and COO, Reeve Foundation. “Our new alliance with SII will help our organizations cultivate and grow community connections while learning from each other about the best ways to care for and promote the independence of people living with paralysis, a spinal cord injury, or mobility impairment.”
While the organisations missions in terms of providing care and support to those living with spinal cord injuries are very similar the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is also dedicated to finding cures for spinal cord injury. “By uniting the brightest minds in the field, we’re developing and delivering real world treatments that will move us closer to cures for spinal cord injury”. Their approach to research is to pursue every opportunity to enhance the health and quality of life of individuals living with paralysis, by translating scientific breakthroughs into vital new therapies.
While the initial benefit of the affiliation is all about sharing of information and best practices it is envisaged that the alliance will launch joint fundraising campaigns in the future to fund important research in the area of spinal cord injury.
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About Spinal Injuries Ireland
Spinal Injuries Ireland is the only support and service agency in Ireland for people who have sustained a spinal cord injury. According to the World Health Organization, a spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating and life-changing injuries that a person can sustain. Founded in 1994, Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) is a registered charity that actively supports people who sustain a spinal cord injury and the family and friends who love them. SII’s mission is to engage, people with a spinal cord injury, along with their family members and together, address barriers to full participation in society and empower their service users to work towards achieving personal, social and vocational goals once again. For more information please visit www.spinalinjuries.ie or phone +353 1 6532180
About the Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. By uniting the brightest minds in the field, we are working tirelessly to accelerate scientific discovery across the field of spinal cord research by investing in labs across the globe. Additionally, through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the Reeve Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) promotes the health, well-being, and independence of people living with paralysis, providing comprehensive information, resources, and referral services assisting over 100,000 individuals and families since its launch in 2002. The Reeve Foundation is committed to elevating our community’s voices and needs to achieve greater representation and independence. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. For more information, please visit www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.
SOURCE Spinal Injuries Ireland
