Spinal Cord Injury Unit
Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford, Conn., has a special ward that treats adolescents who have suffered spinal cord injuries, often as a result of car accidents. According to a report in the New Haven Register, a California girl who fractured her neck and injured her spinal cord in a car accident in Redding has been staying there rehabilitating from her severe injuries.
Making Patient Stays Comfortable
The Adolescent Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the Gaylord Hospital was recently recognized for its innovative approach to caring for teens and their families. The hospital served about 1,400 inpatients and 6,000 outpatients each year. The hospital specialized in care for complex injuries where patients require significant rehabilitation.
Each patient gets a suite and the two rooms of the suite are connected by bathrooms so there is no need to go into a hospital hallway in the middle of the night if the patient needs something. The family suites were created to help limit further trauma for young patients by allowing parents to be close by. Each patient also has access to Wi-Fi and Netflix.
Spinal Cord Injuries
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, common causes of spinal cord injuries include auto accidents (38 percent), falls (30 percent), violent acts (14 percent), and sports and recreational activities (9 percent). Researchers have estimated that as of 2015, 12,500 new spinal cord injuries occur each year and that between 240,000 and 337,000 people are currently living with spinal cord injuries in the United States. The average at injury has changed from 29 years in the 1970s to 42 years in 2015. Spinal cord Injury victims on an average spend 11 days in a hospital and 36 days at a rehabilitation center.
The cost of treating spinal cord injuries is also rather exorbitant. Initial hospitalization costs following injury usually add up to about $140,000. Average first year expenses for a spinal cord injury are at $200,000 while first year expenses for quadriplegics could be closer to $417,000. Average lifetime costs for quadriplegics and paraplegics could easily be in the millions. The percentage of spinal cord injury patients covered by private health insurance at the time of injury is just about 52 percent and the percentage of patients unemployed eight years after injury is about 63 percent.
Protecting Your Rights
If your spinal cord injury has occurred due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party seeking compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost income, hospitalization, rehabilitative treatment and therapy, permanent injuries, disabilities and pain and suffering. The experienced Sacramento spinal cord injury attorneys at the Demas Law Group, P.C., can help fight for your rights and secure maximum compensation for your losses. Call us at (916) 444-0100 to find out how we can help you.
Email 
Facebook 
Twitter 
Pinterest 