Comprehensive Rehabilitation Programs at the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland (UMD) offers a wide variety of rehabilitation programs designed to improve the lives of individuals facing a wide range of challenges, from spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions to substance use disorders and mental health concerns. These programs, offered through the University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute (UM Rehab) and the University Health Center (UHC), provide comprehensive and individualized care aimed at maximizing independence, promoting well-being, and facilitating community reintegration.
Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program at UM Rehab
The University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute's Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program offers comprehensive clinical evaluation, medical care and therapeutic activities tailored to each patient’s individual goals, needs and abilities. Individuals who have experienced a spinal cord injury often have difficulty with mobility, self-care, work-related skills, leisure activities and community reintegration. The program includes both inpatient and outpatient services.
Inpatient Services
Patients admitted to the inpatient portion of the Spinal Cord Injury Program must be able to actively participate in three or more hours of daily therapy. Patients receive physical, occupational, speech/language and recreational therapy six days a week to help them reach their rehabilitation goals. The length of stay for spinal cord injury patients varies between approximately two to eight weeks, depending on individual need.
Comprehensive Care Team
The Division of Rehabilitation Medicine includes physicians trained in neurology with subsequent fellowship training in rehabilitation, as well as physicians who have completed residency training in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Faculty provide medical care to individuals on the stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury/multi-trauma units at the Institute. Rehabilitation care is also provided for individuals with other neurologic diagnoses, including Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, anoxic encephalopathy, and cancer-related neurologic disease. UM Rehab additionally cares for patients with orthopedic trauma and amputations.
Outpatient Services and Specialty Care
Outpatient rehabilitation physician services are available at UM Rehab. Specialty services include spasticity management, with treatments such as intrathecal baclofen pump therapy and botulinum toxin injections. Faculty also provide consultative services to the Neurology and Neurosurgery Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.
Read also: University of Georgia Sorority Guide
Substance Use Intervention and Treatment (SUIT) Unit at the University Health Center
The University of Maryland University Health Center (UHC) offers a comprehensive Substance Use Intervention and Treatment (SUIT) unit, providing substance use disorder treatment services for undergraduate and graduate students who have concerns about their use of alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs.
Leadership and Clinical Care
Dr. Alinsky joined the University of Maryland University Health Center in 2023 as the inaugural Medical Director of the Substance Use Intervention and Treatment (SUIT) unit, where she oversees substance use disorder treatment services and provides addiction medicine treatment for undergraduate and graduate students who have concerns about their use of alcohol, cannabis, or other drugs. Dr. Alinsky works with students across a full spectrum of substance use severity, whether that is binge drinking that has started to cause problems, cannabis use that has become more compulsive, to severe addiction. She also provides primary and subspecialty adolescent medicine care at the UHC (such as inclusive sexual and reproductive health care, complex contraceptive management), with a particular focus on the overlap and interconnection of physical health conditions with mental health and substance use concerns. She collaborates closely with multidisciplinary team members across the health center, including substance use therapists, behavioral health therapists, psychiatrists, sports medicine, other medical providers in the acute and primary care units, as well as medical specialists outside of UMD.
Individualized Treatment Approaches
Whether in primary care or in the SUIT unit, Dr. Alinsky loves getting to know students in order to learn about what is most important to them as individuals, and understand their own personal goals for their health, academics/career, relationships, and beyond. She then collaborates with students to develop individualized treatment plans to help them reach their goals, whether that goal is abstinence, harm reduction, improved sports performance, or something else. This treatment can include medication for addiction treatment (such as Naltrexone/Vivitrol, buprenorphine/Suboxone, nicotine replacement) as well as treatment for co-occurring anxiety, depression, or physical health conditions. Her background in both adolescent and addiction medicine allows her to fully address the physical health complications that may be related to students’ substance use, including chronic nausea, appetite/eating problems, headaches, breathing or cardiovascular problems, sleep issues, and more. Dr. Alinsky is always happy to speak with students considering engaging in substance use treatment or adolescent medicine care, to talk through what to expect at a visit, available resources, potential treatment strategies, and answer any other questions students may have when trying to decide if seeking services is right for them.
Multidisciplinary Team
The SUIT unit and the broader UHC employ a multidisciplinary team of professionals dedicated to providing comprehensive care. This team includes:
Pamela: A seasoned Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over a decade of dedicated experience, specializing in working with older teens and young adults. In her practice Pamela incorporates psychoeducation and evidence-based treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders.
Read also: History of the Block 'M'
Linda Nnaji: A Licensed Clinical Practical Counselor with over a decade of experience in the mental health field, specializing in the treatment of individuals with co-occurring disorders. Creating a strong foundation through the utilization of evidence based practices, she offers compassionate, client-centered care to support those navigating the complex challenges of both mental health and substance use disorders.
Nicole: A dedicated and experienced Licensed Masters Social Worker, specializing in substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders.
Read also: Legacy of Fordham University
tags: #university #of #maryland #rehabilitation #programs
