Child in wheelchair on the basketball court
All the Pieces to Soar
Tangram shape of a bird

A spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation program helping individuals make meaningful progress

Therapies, medical services, and behavioral health support during spinal cord & brain injury recovery

Rise Program Logo

Spinal cord and head injuries can occur in any number of ways, but there is one thing all diagnoses have in common — they change your life in an instant. Families are often left wondering what comes next after a person sustains a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or stroke. Not to mention what the next steps are for loved ones in a disordered state of consciousness or with challening neurobehavioral symptoms. 

Individuals with these traumatic injuries require a broad range of services as their level of responsiveness and medical conditions evolve. The Rise Program emphasizes standards of care developed to help patients across all phases of brain and spinal cord injury recovery. Since every injury is unique, medical attention and rehabilitation therapy must be creatively tailored to the patient. For over 30 years, our program has helped individuals make meaningful progress, because we’re experts at mending minds.

An interdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation

An interdisciplinary rehabilitation team makes all the difference in you or your loved one’s spinal cord or brain injury recovery. Our team of spinal cord and brain injury experts includes physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, primary care physicians, nurses, dietitians, speech-language pathologists, neuropsychologists, and board-certified behavior analysts, as well as physical, occupational, recreational, and respiratory therapists.

helping individuals rise after brain & Spinal cord injury

Contact us for more information or to refer a patient.

Get In Touch
Arrow Down

Rise Program standards of care

From admission to discharge, our team guides patients through a personalized rehabilitation program designed to equip them with the medical and psychological resources they need to make progress and reach their goals, including returning home, to school, or to work, if applicable. Our standards of care include the following:

  • Optimize sleep/wake cycle with medications and limiting interruptions at night
  • Manage high muscle tone to prevent contractures
  • Initiate neuro stimulation, including medication and sensory stimulation
  • Provide in-hospital monitoring (EEG) for seizures (as needed)
  • Manage behavioral agitation, including medication management and environmental behavioral strategies
  • Manage bowel/bladder challenges
  • Monitor and manage blood pressure
  • Manage wound care management and provide skin care education
  • Monitor patient progress with evidence-based outcome measures
  • Conduct neuropsychological evaluations to offer school reentry recommendations to enhance developmental potential
  • Provide family/caregiver training and education throughout admission according to patient’s level of recovery and medical complications
  • Plan for discharge, including scheduling relevant follow-up and outpatient appointments, preparing medications, organizing home equipment, and planning in-home services and supervision (as needed)
Arrow Down
Happy patient after discharging from brain injury rehabilitation

Meet a RISE Program success story

“Olivia is an inspiration to me because she kept an internal focus of what she hoped to attain and then it became a reality. And what an awesome support system of her parents, family, friends, and new friends at Nexus Children’s Hospital.”
— Nexus’ Director of Rehabilitation

Read Her Story

Spinal cord and brain injury diagnosis criteria

Nexus accepts patients in all phases of brain and spinal cord injury recovery, including those in disorders of consciousness who may not meet acute rehabilitation criteria.* Additionally, we accept patients with tracheostomies/ventilators, complicated wounds, and medically complex needs (i.e., neurostorming). We treat the following diagnoses; please click to learn more about specific programming:

  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  • Spinal cord injury (SCI)
  • Stroke
  • Disorder of Consciousness
  • Neurobehavioral Condition

*Although our programs can provide an acute inpatient rehabilitation level of care (15 hours/week), patients do not have to be ready to participate in three hours of daily therapy at the time of their admission to qualify for programming.

Arrow Down

Brain injury guidelines at Nexus facilities

Patients can admit to any phase of the program, just as they can progress to any level of care as their needs evolve. Treatment plans and goals are adjusted depending on the patient’s level of responsiveness and medical conditions.

  1. Disorders of consciousness. For patients who continue to show altered arousal and/or limited ability to interact with their environment, and are not yet or inconsistently following commands (Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome/Minimally Conscious State).
  2. Post-traumatic amnesia/delirium. Designed for recovery from acute confusion and/or post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) and beyond. This phase provides orienting information to promote increased environmental awareness and medical and
    environmental structure to promote behavioral regulation.
  3. Recovery. Supporting individals and their families as they navigate the transition from hospital back into their home, school, work, and community environments. Neuropsychological testing is provided to identify cognitive deficits and provide recommendations, for individuals to develop and progress towards independence.

The more you know. What is neurostorming?

Most people are familiar with the feeling of stress. Your heart may beat faster, your breath could quicken, your blood pressure might rise, and your muscles might tense up. This is called the flight-or-fight response — what our bodies may do in reacting to being chased by a bear, for example. This reaction improves our ability to survive the stress that is causing it. When the brain is injured, it’s difficult for the person to inhibit this response, which causes many challenges.

Read on to learn more about neurostorming and the PSH response, as well as what that means for brain injury recovery and rehabilitation.

Read More
Skip to content