About the Program

The Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders (SCI&D) Program at Salisbury VAMC is part of a nationwide system of spinal cord care mandated by Congress under VHA Directive 1176.  Our SCI/D Team includes:  a board-certified Physiatrist (MD); an SCI-trained Registered Nurse; and a Program Coordinator, who is a master’s prepared Social Worker.  All team members are interested and trained in working with veterans who have injuries and disorders that affect the spinal cord.

The SCI/D Team at Salisbury VAMC meets twice a week in a specialty SCI/D Clinic.  In addition to our established patients, we see new SCI/D veterans on referral from their Primary Care Provider or from the SCI/D programs at other VA Medical Centers. 

Services Offered

Our goal is to help our SCI/D veterans maintain their best state of health and ability to function in the community or institutional setting in which they live.  We do this by:

• seeing SCI/D veterans regularly in SCI/D Clinic
• educating our clinic veterans, family members, and caregivers on SCI-specific health concerns and how to avoid problems
• referring SCI veterans to an SCI Center, usually in Richmond, VA, if a problem develops that needs a higher level of care than is available at Salisbury
• assisting our clinic veterans with social work services and community referrals as needed
• assessing for home equipment and mobility needs and connecting our veterans to other appropriate disciplines, such as Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics, etc.