DALLAS, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new interdisciplinary force for quality health care for people living with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D), the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, will officially launch this week. The new organization brings together physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and rehabilitation therapists, and is supported by Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans), the veterans service and disabilities rights organization.

"With the right partners, you can achieve anything," said Dr. Terrie Price, the newly-elected President of the Academy. "Together, our Academy of physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and therapists will collaborate more closely to produce better treatment and quality-of-life outcomes for people living with spinal cord injury/dysfunction."

With the tagline "Many Minds, One Vision," the new Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (www.ascipro.org) is a merger of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses, the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers, the American Paraplegia Society, and the Therapy Leadership Council in Spinal Cord Injury. The new Academy has one vision: a world where people with spinal cord injury are healthier, more independent, and more empowered through a comprehensive lifetime of care to take on all the challenges that life presents.

The Academy is composed of public and private health care professionals:

• Working closely with centers of excellence such as the Department of Veterans Affairs' Health Care System and the Model SCI Systems and CARF accredited centers across the nation.
• Providing world-class networking and continuing education opportunities, and publications for professionals in the field and others interested in SCI/D.
• Advocating for better quality of life through comprehensive lifelong health care, community access and employment for all people with SCI/D.
• Promoting more public, policymaker, and philanthropic awareness of the challenges facing people with SCI/D and professionals alike.
  

The Academy aims to be the world's premier, interdisciplinary organization dedicated to advancing the care of people with SCI/D.

"We are proud to support the creation of the new Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals. We are excited about its interdisciplinary approach to improving the quality of health care for all people with spinal cord injury and dysfunction," said Maurice L. Jordan, Paralyzed Veterans' Deputy National Executive Director.

SOURCE Paralyzed Veterans of America