Collaborating for Impact
Networks are valuable platforms that can enhance local, regional, and provincial capacity.
They also foster a collaborative environment that supports co-designing, endorsing, and implementing solutions. Networks tackle complex problems to improve care for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and drive collective impact.
Acting as a backbone organization, Praxis Spinal Cord Institute promotes the planning and development of collaborative efforts that support Canadian SCI networks and stakeholders (e.g. clinicians, researchers, individuals with SCI lived experience, health administrators, community organizations). We provide support and guidance to identify common goals, co-create innovative solutions, share learnings, and pursue opportunities for collaboration.
Our role is to capture, share and connect the knowledge and perspective of local, regional and national initiatives to create alignment of activities and efforts across the country. Praxis is proud to support the following networks along with other funders and partners. Below are a few examples of networks who were awarded Praxis funding:
Provincial, Regional and Local Networks
Spinal Cord Injury Network of the Atlantic Provinces
The Spinal Cord Injury Network of the Atlantic Provinces (SCINAPS) was formed in 2018 following the first Atlantic Canada SCI Summit which was held to increase collaboration among the regional SCI community. The Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador) have unique challenges such as an aging and rural population, with many residing long distances from acute care and rehabilitation facilities. SCINAPS mobilizes the collective strengths of the SCI community in Atlantic Canada to address the identified needs across care, community and research.
Activity-Based Therapy Community of Practice
The Activity-Based Therapy Community of Practice (ABT CoP) brings together committed individuals with a common interest in ABT who have a desire to work collaboratively. The aim of the ABT CoP is to expedite the advancement of Canadian ABT priorities with the ultimate goal of improving access to and quality of ABT for people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders. Members of the ABT CoP also host Spinal Moves, a Canadian podcast conversation about activity-based therapy with the leaders of today.
Community Follow-up Program for Coordinated Acute and Rehabilitation Continuum Care
Championed by a Quebec-based clinical network, this local initiative is implementing a new community followup program to enhance multidisciplinary coordinated trauma and rehabilitation continuum care. This clinical initiative aims at enhancing the local network, increasing awareness on available resources and promoting the engagement of patients in their care. It will also facilitate communications between specialized teams and community resources, improve quality of care in this important population.
Alberta COVID Health Strategy
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic many services accessed by people with disabilities, including people with spinal cord injury, were disrupted and social connections were limited or lost due to restrictions to keep people safe. To address these gaps, in April 2020 the SCI community in Alberta championed two novel virtual interventions through the Rehabilitation Advice Line (RAL) , a clinician-operated phone service to coordinate outpatient and home services, and the Alberta Spinal Cord Injury Community Interactive Learning Series (AB-SCILS), a monthly webinar series to promote audience knowledge of the latest evidence in research, care, and community living, creating a sense of community and improving social connectedness
Circulus SCI Primary Care Network
“Circulus” is a Latin word meaning “circle,” which speaks clearly to the collaborative efforts of the network. Circulus SCI Primary Care Network aims to bridge gaps in primary care for individuals with spinal cord injury through research, education, increasing primary care resources, networking with various stakeholders, and general advocacy.’ The CPC SCIN held a Collaborative Primary Care Spinal Cord Injury Network Summit on Wednesday, September 15, 2021. The goal of the Summit was to focus on the network’s knowledge translation and priority alignment, where the stakeholders came together to discuss the current landscape and leverage everyone’s expertise to reduce barriers to care in Ontario. Recommendations from the Summit will be shared with the Canadian SCI community over the coming months.