Reprising a role he played during the Carter administration,
former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland returned to campus Dec. 9 to help
the Center for Rehabilitation Medicine (CRM) celebrate its 25th
anniversary.
Cleland, then at the head of the U.S. Veterans Administra-tion,
was on hand for the dedication of the CRM in 1977. Seriously wounded
during the Vietnam War, losing both legs and his right arm, Cleland
was impressed by the building’s accessibility when it opened.
“Rehabilitation starts with the idea of treating the whole
person and the individual’s sense of who he is and where he
is going,” he said then. Today, he is still a staunch supporter
of the words he uttered 25 years ago.
“I’ve always believed in the concept of a rehabilitation
center, one focused on new life,” Cleland told an audience
gathered at the CRM the morning of Dec. 9. “Modern medicine
has created the need for rehabilitation medicine. The better we
do in medicine, the more we need rehabilitation medicine.”
Cleland headlined a schedule that included brief presentations from
CRM staff about the center’s programs. The anniversary celebration
also featured tours of the facility, as well as a discussion led
by Frances Curtiss—who co-chaired the anniversary celebration
along with fellow CRM advisory board members John and Beverly Mitchell—on
how community involvement can help the CRM continue its quarter-century
of work.
“For 25 years, rehabilitation medicine specialists at Emory
have kept one foot grounded in medicine and science and the other
in social implications and patient practicality,” said Dale
Strasser, associate professor and chair of rehabilitation medicine
in the School of Medicine. “The care and treatment we provide
to patients are measured by their performance.”
“Rehabilitation medicine is eminently practical and function
oriented,” said medical Dean Tom Lawley. “All of the
key elements of rehabilitation medicine are provided at the CRM,
including medical management, therapy, support and encouragement.”
The CRM is a freestanding, outpatient and inpatient facility, consisting
of 56 beds. Compre-hensive rehabilitation services include treatment
for individuals who suffer from stroke, neuromuscular disease, spinal
cord injury, traumatic brain injury, arthritis, orthopaedic conditions,
musculoskeletal disease, neuromuscular disease and other injuries
or conditions that cause loss of function or ability.
Seven physicians staff the center, along with the help of a dozen
physical therapists and occupational therapists, four speech language
pathologists, four therapeutic recreation therapists and more than
60 nurses.
“As rehabilitationists, we are specialists in function,”
Strasser said. “Our unique skills emerge from specialized
knowledge in such diverse areas as the musculoskeletal system, neurosciences,
exercise physiology and psychology. We also treat many patients
with more common disabling conditions like low back pain and sports
injuries.”
In the 1970s, the idea of a barrier-free rehabilitation center was
revolutionary. Built following a $7.5 million gift from the Woodruff
Foundation, the six-story, concrete building was considered state-of-the-art.
It featured ramps, wide doors and switches and light fixtures at
the proper height for those in wheelchairs. The center was built
before the Americans with Disabilities Act had been created, so
many of these accessibility designs were cutting-edge technology.
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