Marquette University's College of Health Sciences receives $1 million gift to establish a neurologic disorder rehabilitation clinic

December 11, 2018

Neuro Recovery Clinic will be the first of its kind in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE — Marquette University's College of Health Sciences today announced that it has received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor. The gift will establish the Neuro Recovery Clinic to treat individuals with chronic disability following neurologic conditions like stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury through intensive and long-term services not available in our current health care marketplace.

The Neuro Recovery Clinic will be the first of its kind in the state of Wisconsin and one of only several in the region, joining similar facilities in Minneapolis and Chicago. The clinic is modeled on NeuroRecovery Network® programs originally developed by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Neuroscientific research has shown that the nervous system is plastic and that further functional advances can be attained through repeated, rehabilitative exercise and activity," said Dr. William E. Cullinan, dean of the College of Health Sciences and director of the Integrative Neuroscience Research Center at Marquette. "The Neuro Recovery Clinic will be a state-of-the-art training center that will provide intensive programming for people living with life-altering brain and spinal cord injuries and illnesses. We are very grateful for this generous gift, without which this clinic would not be possible."

The clinic space is currently being renovated with a planned opening in 2019. It will be located in Cramer Hall on Marquette's campus, adjacent to the Marquette Physical Therapy Clinic and the Marquette Speech and Hearing Clinic, providing opportunities for crossover care for patients with multiple needs as well as opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student clinical experience.

Although the donor wishes to remain anonymous, the reason for donating to establish the clinic was shared: "Learning of the limitations of insurance coverage and the importance of continued intensive therapy to recovery for those impacted by neurological injury made me realize how important and great the need is for a clinic like this. I am pleased to help Marquette bring these life-changing therapies to the many in need."

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