A Thanksgiving, of Sorts

Today is the final day of National Rehabilitation Week, 7 official days established by Congress with the clear intention of raising awareness about the critical roles that physical medicine and rehabilitation play in the lives of millions of patients each year.

For the Spaulding community - and for anyone who has ever experienced disability - National Rehabilitation Week is extraordinarily meaningful. To explain why, I have invited a very special guest blogger to join us. This week it’s my pleasure to turn the keyboard over to Spaulding’s president, David Storto.

Here at Spaulding, National Rehabilitation Week has become a Thanksgiving of sorts – it’s a chance for our talented team of clinicians and professionals to appreciate one another’s expertise, to reflect on the latest medical and scientific research, and to celebrate the milestones achieved by our patients over the past 12 months. It’s also an opportunity for each one of us to renew our own individual commitments toward Spaulding’s mission: to improve  the quality of life for patients recovering from traumatic events and catastrophic illnesses; to advocate for the community of people with physical disabilities; and to train the next generation of experts in our field.

Nothing inspires or sustains us more than the personal triumphs we witness from our patients every day. In the year ahead, Spaulding will continue working with patients and their families from the immediate area and around the world, including our wounded warriors. In addition to proudly serving as one of the first private rehabilitation hospitals chosen to treat America’s returning soldiers, Spaulding will also reprise our role as a brain injury research and treatment center for the Red Sox Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Home Base Program. And of course we will continue our scientific research and teaching in the areas of spinal cord injury, stroke and other disabling conditions.

At this historic juncture in the debate over the delivery of health care in the United States, National Rehabilitation Week also compels the Spaulding community to uphold the values that have made us leaders in rehabilitation care. As our local population ages and the need for rehabilitative medicine continues to grow, we must all strive for creative solutions that will maintain excellence, while also making care more efficient and affordable.  Every fresh idea and every new voice - including yours! – are welcome in this critical effort.