Department of Rehabilitation Medicine

Peer Mentoring
MS-SCI-MS staff believes strongly in peer mentoring. Who better to make suggestions, listen to or answer questions, than the person who has lived with an SCI?

Three programs at MS-SCI-MS highlight the use of peer mentoring and support. They are the Do It Program, the Peer Visitors program, and the SCI Peer mentor program.

The Mount Sinai SCI Peer Mentor Partnership Program matches up persons who have recently incurred spinal cord injuries with a volunteer “peer mentor” who is living successfully in the community with a spinal injury. Mentors are trained and supported by Mount Sinai staff. They make the first contact with their “mentee” when the newly injured person is still an inpatient. After discharge, the mentor supports the mentee for a period of at least six months. Contacts are by phone, by e-mail and in person, and address all issues the newly discharged person may be struggling with. Mentors and mentees are matched on the basis of common background and interests.

Peer Visitors is a group that meets every Tuesday night at 6:00 P.M. on KCC 2, the SCI inpatient unit. This group, consisting of mentors trained in the Mentoring program, meets informally with inpatients and their visiting family and friends. They feel that as veterans, they can act as resources and/or mentors. The Peer Visitors are available to answer questions, make suggestions, or offer advice. They are able to bring an unique perspective to what they say, having "lived it." Patients and family members/significant others are encouraged to meet with the participants of the program.

The Do It! Program, a five day per week outpatient program for individuals with SCI, advocates the use of mentors. Each year the Do It! Program hires two individuals with a spinal cord injury as program assistants, and they are integral members of the Do It! Team. They are highly visible in the outpatient and inpatient areas and serve as positive role models for the newly injured individual as well as for other consumers.

Volunteering. Anyone wishing to volunteer in the MS-SCI-MS program should contact Jim Cesario, the Outreach Coordinator, at (212) 659-9369. There are many opportunities available for volunteers: working in the resource library, assisting with the community luncheon, and/or participating in community outings.

The Life Challenge Adventure Program is a unique program that challenges spinal cord injured outpatients with situations and obstacles that seem impossible for them because of their disabilities. However, the Life Challenges program is based on the idea that when individuals confront their obstacles and succeed, they become a stronger person. They become empowered. Utilizing high-activity and on-the-edge leisure adventure trips (snow skiing, water skiing, white water rafting, scuba diving, sky diving, and similar activities), the participants along with family members and friends face obstacles together. Through problem solving and teamwork, success is achieved with the realization that, “If I can do this, I can do anything."

Four to eight trips are offered each year; some trips are one day long, others take multiple days over a weekend. The costs to attend a Life Challenge Trip are between $100-$300 per person; this is not paid by insurance.

Think First is an education program that utilizes persons who have sustained spinal cord injuries to help prevent traumatic injuries among young people, by teaching them to think first and use their minds to protect their bodies. Think First provides two comprehensive education programs. Think First for Kids is offered in school classroom and is designed to influence behavior early in a child's life. Think First for Teens is offered in assembly formats as a reinforcement program. These age groups are targeted because injuries are the major cause of death and disability in young people.

The Greater New York Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NYCSCIA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to motivate and empower individuals with spinal cord injuries and to educate them and the community about the effects of spinal cord injury and diseases. The NYCSCIA meets the fourth Tuesday of each month in the second floor dining room of KCC-2 at Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center. The Chapter can be reached at nycscia@yahoo.com.