Oregon Adaptive Sports hosts adventure sports outings
From Thursday through next Tuesday, Oregon Adaptive Sports will host five alumni from Denver’s Craig Hospital, a leading neurological rehabilitation facility, for four days of adaptive adventure sports, including mountain biking and kayaking.
The trip is part of Craig Hospital’s Adventure Program that serves individuals with spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries that completed in-patient rehab at the hospital in Denver, but have since been discharged to their home communities. Each of the five individuals attending the trip reside within the greater Pacific Northwest, including Northern California, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.
“Craig Hospital’s Adventure Program offers unique opportunities for individuals to enjoy travel, sports and outdoor recreation, while still being supported by Craig Hospital. The powerful impact of this program is the opportunity to bring together newly injured individuals and alumni to create lasting friendships and peer relationships,” says Tom Carr, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at Craig Hospital. “Working with community partners is integral to our program’s success. The professionals at Oregon Adaptive Sports have the most up to date equipment in the field, and together with Craig Hospital, can facilitate an amazing outdoor experience for our alumni.”
To facilitate the week, OAS will provide access to over $50,000 of adaptive sports equipment, including five off-road handcycles or recumbent cycles, that allow individuals with mobility impairments to access the vast mountain bike trail networks throughout Central Oregon. The week will be conducted by OAS staff and volunteers in addition to two therapists from Craig Hospital who will be flying in from Denver for the week.
“OAS is excited to partner with a leading institution like Craig Hospital to serve as a critical piece of an individual’s continuum of care,” says Pat Addabbo , executive director at Oregon Adaptive Sports. “While the focus often lies of the activities OAS provides, like skiing, mountain biking, and paddling, it is the confidence and independence that individuals with disabilities gain through our programs that allow them to engage in a fulfilling and thriving life.”
The week will be further supplemented by Destination Rehab, another Bend based organization that will compliment the adaptive sports focus of the week with consultation and guidance through physical therapy, specifically Destination Rehab founder Carol Ann-Nelson, PT, DPT. This week was funded in large part by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, who provided over $30,000 in funding to support the acquisition of additional adaptive sports equipment and supplies to accommodate the needs of each individual participating in the program.
About Oregon Adaptive Sports:
Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) is a Bend, OR based non-profit that provides year-round life-changing outdoor experiences for individuals with disabilities. OAS was founded in 1996 by volunteers who wished to make Central Oregon’s ski slopes accessible to individuals with disabilities. Today, OAS serves over 450 individuals each year through nearly 2,000 experiences from the Cascade Mountains to the High Desert of Central Oregon. OAS plays a leading role in creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to access the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest through adaptive skiing, snowboarding, cycling, mountain biking, rock climbing, paddling, and golf. Learn more about OAS at https://www.oregonadaptivesports.org or follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OregonAdaptiveSports/ and on Instagram @Oregon_Adaptive_Sports.
About Craig Hospital:
Craig Hospital is a world-renowned hospital and research center specialized in the care of people who have sustained a spinal cord and/or a brain injury. Located in Englewood, Colo., Craig Hospital is a 93-bed, private, not-for-profit care facility providing a comprehensive system of inpatient and outpatient medical care, rehabilitation, neurosurgical rehabilitative care, and long-term follow-up services. Half of Craig’s patients come from outside of Colorado. Craig has been ranked as a top 10 rehabilitation center by U.S. News and World Report for 29 consecutive years. Craig received the NDNQI ® award in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 for the highest quality outcomes in nursing care in a rehabilitation facility. Craig also received its 3rd recognition for excellence in nursing by the American Nurses Credential Center ( ANCC ) Magnet Recognition Program® in 2015. The 2015 recognition ensures Magnet designation until the year 2020. Craig was voted by employees as a “Top Workplace” by the Denver Post in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 and was ranked in the top 150 places to work in healthcare by Becker’s Healthcare in 2014. For more information visit craighospital.org
About the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation:
The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation was established in 2002 to award grants to a broad spectrum of charities, including those that benefit spinal cord injury efforts. Today, with assets of approximately $500 million, the Foundation is primarily dedicated to funding extensive research, education and quality of life programs for improving the lives of people affected by spinal cord injury.
