Advancing SCI, MS, and ALS Care: PVA’s Annual Summit Comes to California
By Robert Thomas Jr.
What are some fun facts about the city of Anaheim, Calif.?
Well, it’s the second-largest city land-wise in Orange County, Calif. It has notoriety for being the home of Disneyland, the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks and Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels — not to mention the diverse culinary scene there. Something interesting to note is that Anaheim is also a type of mild chili pepper.
This month, however, the city is going to be known for much more than all of that. Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) will be hosting its annual Healthcare Summit + Expo Aug. 25–28 at the Anaheim Marriott in California.
The Summit is PVA’s biggest health care event, with health care professionals from within and outside the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) attending from all across the country. We’re happy to bring the event to California for the first time. The Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital, where the first veterans with spinal-cord injuries (SCI) in World War II received rehabilitation and treatment and where PVA was born, is just an hour north of Anaheim.
As always, we will have four education tracks, with two on SCI, one on multiple sclerosis (MS) and one on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This year, we’re pleased to have three full days of MS sessions and two full days of ALS sessions. This is the only gathering in the U.S. to provide continuing education for all three diagnoses at one conference.
There will be presentations given by keynote speakers, including remarks by VA Undersecretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, MD. There will also be four preconference sessions, including one called Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Tips and Tricks for Travel for Providers and Individuals with SCI/D (spinal-cord injury and disease). This is an important topic for PVA members and others who travel with wheelchairs.
In addition, I hope you have seen something about brain-computer interface (BCI) technology in the news. Some BCI technology allows people with SCI/D to receive an implant that allows them to communicate and perform computer-based tasks at home.
David Putrino, PT, PhD, the director of Rehabilitation Innovation at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, will kick off the Summit with an overview of this exciting technology, how it works and, most importantly, the impact BCI has on the lives of those who use it.
The expo is an important part of our Summit every year, and I’m always fascinated by the new things I see. This year, we’ll have our largest expo hall featuring new treatments, technologies and assistive equipment.
As an individual living with SCI, I’m so grateful that PVA had the mindset to begin hosting a conference that provides clinicians working in the field of SCI/D with the most up-to-date research and technology. This learning experience is incredibly important, and it’s another way PVA opens the door to make our lives better.
I hold great appreciation and pride for the lengths this organization goes to help not only me, but all of our members live our lives to the fullest capacities. These events are mind-opening, and I’m excited to see where these will go in the future.
For more information on the PVA Healthcare Summit + Expo, visit summitpva.org.
