Wheelchair users in Alabama, Massachusetts, Michigan and Texas are again guaranteed access to higher-quality medical care, thanks to increased funding for Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems. 

United Spinal Association’s policy and advocacy work and the sustained efforts of members across the country helped convince Congress to approve a $2 million budget increase specifically designated for funding additional model centers, as well as increased funds for the model systems program as a whole.  

Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems are sponsored in part by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. They are “national leaders in medical research and patient care and provide the highest level of comprehensive specialty services, from the point of injury through rehabilitation and re-entry into full community life,” according to the model systems website.  

The additions to the network are: 

• University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB) 
   
• Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center (Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital) 
   
• Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (University of Michigan – Ann Arbor) 
   

• Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury System (Memorial Hermann Health System) 

Adding these centers — which were all part of the model systems network before losing funding in recent years — brings the total number of model systems back up to 18. Advocates like Steve Lieberman, United Spinal’s director of advocacy and policy, say that the funding increase was a significant win, but it’s not nearly enough.  

“Back in the early 2000s, there were around 200,000 people with spinal cord injuries in the U.S., and now there are more than 300,000. But funding for model systems has stayed stagnant — it hasn’t kept up with inflation or with the increased number of people with SCI. In fact, there are whole regions of the country, like the Pacific Northwest, that lack a single SCI model center.” 

More advocacy is needed on this important issue. Click here to urge Congress to approve increased funding to help restore critical programs for our community across the country.