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Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Inpatient Program at G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre

  • 4255 Laurel Street, 2nd floor Vancouver, BC V5Z 2G9

The Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient Program at G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre offers specialized inpatient rehabilitation for individuals with spinal cord injuries. This program is primarily for clients with new spinal cord injuries. However, clients with chronic spinal cord injuries who have required a flap repair for pressure injuries may also be eligible.

How to access

  • Check eligibility

    We serve people with spinal cord injuries within the province of British Columbia and the Yukon. This includes traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injuries and adults with Spina Bifida.

    Patients must meet the G.F. Strong inpatient admission criteria

  • Get a referral

    A physician or nurse practitioner must make referrals to the Inpatient spinal cord injury program. Have your physician or nurse practitioner complete the G.F. Strong Inpatient Referral Form.

    G.F. Strong inpatient referral form

  • Waitlist information

    While everyone’s experience will be different, below is a snapshot of a typical process that your care team will follow when you are considered for rehab and the resulting wait time frames:  

    1. The acute care team requests a physiatry (physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor) consultation.  
    2. Typically, a physiatrist meets with you while you are in the hospital to assist with current care and determine rehabilitation needs (this could be inpatient, outpatient, or no follow-up needed). If you need intensive inpatient rehabilitation, the acute care team will submit a referral to the appropriate rehab facility.   
    3. If G.F. Strong is determined to be the best place to meet your rehabilitation needs, the wait time is dependent on several factors, including but not limited to:  
      1. Your medical stability  
      2. Your endurance  
      3. Your diagnosis   
      4. Your ability to actively participate in rehabilitation.   
    4. Your wait time can be variable, but we do our best to plan for a short wait in the hospital once you are ready for rehab. If you are accepted to an inpatient program, you may be transferred with short notice to G.F. Strong or be waiting for a period of time. We recognize that the move to G.F. Strong can feel like a very long wait, depending on your situation.  
    5. You may be moved to the Transitional Rehab unit at G.F. Strong before returning home or to one of the other three inpatient programs.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is rehab?

    Rehabilitation (or simply “rehab”) is the active process of improving function and independence. It includes the care that can help you get back, keep, or improve abilities that you need for daily life. These abilities may be physical, mental, or cognitive (thinking and learning). You may have lost them because of a disease or injury or as a side effect of a medical treatment.   

    G.F. Strong offers a short-term intensive rehab program that is client-centred and goal-oriented to support you in regaining functional abilities or learning to work with challenges so you may be able to improve your level of independence and quality of life for returning to your community, home, or new environment.  

    Our rehabilitation programs will help you improve your understanding of and functioning related to your injury or condition. Your time in the program is the time to actively engage in rehabilitation, giving you the best chance to achieve your goals, build new skills, and try using any adaptive equipment you will need.   

    We strive to provide you with quality care. You get the best care when you, the client, and your family, friends, and loved ones become “partners in care” with us, your health-care providers.  

    Rehab provides education and strategies for managing daily activities using your abilities. Your team will work with you to optimize your abilities, including your physical, mental, and coping abilities, as well as your ability to self-manage and direct your care. 

  • What does G.F. Strong expect of me?

    1. Participation. You are expected to actively participate in rehab, be on time for therapy sessions, and attend education sessions. Be ready to learn, rest when needed, and communicate your needs to the team.  
    2. Consideration. Please be considerate of your roommate. Visiting hours end at 9 p.m. and we ask that you please keep the volume of your sound equipment to a low level and turn it off by 10 p.m. We suggest earphones for your personal devices.  
    3. There is a Harm Reduction Policy at Vancouver Coastal regarding substance use. Please inform your team if you are using substances or start to feel you are needing them, so they can work best to support your overall well-being (??) Provincial guidelines are followed by G.F. Strong. 
    4. G.F. Strong is a non-smoking, non-vaping, (drug-free) facility. Speak with your care team to discuss options for nicotine replacement or other resources. 

  • How is my length of stay determined?

    Early in your stay, a discharge date will be determined based on your inpatient rehab goals. Your discharge date allows you, your family or supports, and your team to plan for your return to the community. It provides a timeframe for exploring funding sources, planning home modifications, finding alternate accommodations, and/or purchasing equipment. 

    This date may change as you progress through rehab.  Your team can talk to you about resources you still need at discharge and will work with you to set them up.

  • How are rehab goals determined?

    To help us with your rehab plan, we need to know what you expect of rehab, what your concerns are, and what you would like to achieve at G.F. Strong. You and your team will then set individual goals. These goals need to be doable and achievable during your short stay. Some goals, called long-term goals, need more time will not be finished by the time you leave GF Strong. Information on how you can work on these goals, beyond your inpatient stay, will be discussed with you.  

    Your team will meet with you (including your family or supports) during your stay to talk about your goals, rehab plan and discharge, but you are encouraged to voice your concerns throughout your rehabilitation to any care team member at any time. The team meets regularly to talk about your progress.  You can talk to your social worker about the time frame for your team meeting.

G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre

G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre is British Columbia’s largest rehabilitation centre. As a freestanding facility, it provides inpatient, outpatient, and clinical support services to clients/patients in four unique programs: Acquired Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, and Neuromusculoskeletal, and a Transitional Rehabilitation Unit.

Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient Program

The Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient Program offers specialized inpatient rehabilitation for individuals with spinal cord injuries. This program is primarily for clients with new spinal cord injuries. However, clients with chronic spinal cord injuries who have required a flap repair for pressure injuries may also be eligible.