NeuroHope Receives $25,000 From OrthoIndy Foundation

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The year 2020 has been turbulent for non-profit organizations.   Fundraising is always a challenge, but never more than this year   Charities had to sustain temporary closures due to COVID-19, and need to raise more funds than usual to make up for lost time and to implement program changes.

Thankfully, there are angel organizations, donors, and foundations that believe in NeuroHope and are eager to help!

I’m thrilled to announce that NeuroHope is the proud recipient of a $25,000 program grant from the OrthoIndy and Indiana Orthopedic Hospital Foundation!  This generous gift is made possibly by the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).  The OrthoIndy Foundation was created in 2012 with a mission to improve mobility and function for residents of central Indiana.  The Foundation supports local programs that work  to increase self-sufficiency, promote wellness, and improve the quality of life for individuals in need.

The Foundation first believed in our vision back in 2016, when it supplied NeuroHope with a generous expansion grant to help our clinic move to our current location.   In the four years since, NeuroHope has grown to form a true continuum of care program for people living with and recovering from paralysis, and we’ve helped 184 people on their road to recovery.

Our program revolves around providing supplemental therapy and exercise for patients.  Most people attend NeuroHope because their insurance coverage for physical therapy has been capped.  These patients need extended therapy and more time with specialists to work on goals that maximize recovery and improve their quality of life.   This award from the OrthoIndy Foundation helps fund the supplementary care we provide, and will ensure our program remains strong in 2021 and beyond.  We are humbled and honored to have their support!

3rd Annual “Swing Fore Hope” Raises $53,000!

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What a day! Our 3rd annual “Swing Fore Hope” charity scramble was a smashing success. 132 golfers, 18 sponsors, a silent auction, raffle winners, patient speeches by Mitch Dankert and Chris Nichols, and a day’s worth of free food and drinks for all. Most importantly, we raised a grand total of $53,000 for NeuroHope!

There are many people to thank who made this year’s ONLY fundraiser such a success:

Every golfer that came out to support our patients, the auction item donors, the NeuroHope events committee led by Justin Davis, who planned the outing for months, Indy Biplanes for an exciting tee-off flyover, Ironwood Golf Club for being such great hosts, all of our pizza donors, Jack’s Donuts, Fuzzy’s Vodka, Four Day Ray Brewing, and Havana Cigar Lounge for the presence and product donations all afternoon!  

A special thanks goes to our Event Sponsors: Hensley Legal Group, Langdon Shaw Wealth Management, hc1.com, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, Rehab Medical, and Delta Faucet

A special thanks also goes out to all of our hole sponsors:  

Ameripak, Aero Industries, Axiom HR, Brenda Bowman – FC Tucker, Bright Ideas of Broadripple, Burger King of Kokomo & Muncie, David Bruce – State Farm, Greg George Insurance Agency, Justus Real Estate, Kimball Electronics,  KSM Consulting, The Laviolette Group, Lynch, Harrison, & Brumleve, Lannie Thompson – FC Tucker, National Bank of Indianapolis, Patterson Horth General Contractors, Rehabiliation Associates of Indiana, Sparenberg Farms, The Spickelmier Family, Systemmax Corporation, Tim Allen Photo.

Congratulations to all of our contest winners who took home Delta Faucet merhandise (Longest Drive, closet to the pin).  And, cheers to the new “Swing Fore Hope” Champions: Austin Bowman, Josh Martin, Craig Costello, and Drew Schroeder!

Don’t forget – you can support NeuroHope year-round by choosing “NeuroHope of Indiana” as your Amazon Smile charity.  You can also set up easy, monthly recurring contributions by clicking here.  Just $25 per month from 100 people would be an extra $30,000 per year for our patients!!

Thank you all!  We’ll see you next year!

Partial Re-Open After COVID-19

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We’re back!! As of May 18th, it’s partial re-open for client re-evaluations this week. During our two-month closure we have remained engaged with clients through video visits and home programs. Remote programs remain available for all clients. However, we have revamped our COVID-19 safety and infection control policies per OSHA and CDC guidelines and have re-opened in a limited capacity for clients who wish to return.

Some of the new policies in place to best protect clients and staff:

-Caregivers and/or visitors are not permitted inside the building unless needed for cognitive purposes or to accompany a pediatric client.
-All staff and clients are screened daily.
-The number of scheduled clients per hour has been limited to preserve social distancing in the gym at all times.
-We have strict disinfectant and hygiene protocols in place every hour as per CDC and WHO recommendations.

NeuroHope continues to follow the State of Indiana and Marion County orders and guidelines.

Stay healthy and stay aware everyone! We look forward to seeing our amazing clients soon!

NeuroHope Presents at APTA National Conference

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The NeuroHope story was presented at the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting in Denver, Colorado on February 14th!

Dr. Stephanie A. Miller from the Krannert School of Physical Therapy at The University of Indianapolis and NeuroHope’s Director of Therapy, Nora Foster presented preliminary findings of our ongoing research study at the APTA’s annual summit where thousands of physical therapists and researchers from around the globe gather to share the latest developments and practices in the physical therapy world.

It was an exciting opportunity to showcase our unique mission and program.  NeuroHope was created with a model that defies traditional healthcare.  Instead of relying solely on insurance reimbursement and billable hours – we focus on patient access and affordability above everything else.  Maximal recovery from catastrophic injuries depend on this standard of care, but adequate access to therapy, exercise, and expensive rehabilitative technology is difficult for healthcare systems to provide.  The irony: knowledge, science, and rehabilitative technology is advancing, but patient access is declining.

Most people recovering from life-changing spinal cord and brain injuries stop therapy when insurance coverage is depleted, which may only be a few months following injury.  The severity of neurologic injuries, the length of time needed to recover from them, and the lack of long-term quality of life programs in most communities leaves a void in care that NeuroHope was created to address.

Thanks to support from the Indiana Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Fund, NeuroHope has partnered with a research team from the University of Indianapolis to track the long-term outcome measures of patients that have access to NeuroHope’s model of ongoing care.  Since January 2018, patients attending NeuroHope have been evaluated extensively to monitor their motor fuction, physical activities and health-related quality of life during participation in our program. Patients with varying degrees of injuries, ages, and length of time since the injury, all participate in a rigorous 2-hour evaluation that consists of tests that measure neurologic function, balance, range of motion, reach, endurance, and walking,  in addition to surveys to monitor their satisfaction and quality of life.  Tests are repeated every 3 to 6 months to evaluate progress.

Patients are being tracked through the summer of 2020 in order to capture the clearest picture we can, but even now,  preliminary results have shown improvements across most outcomes.   In the coming months, we look forward to sharing complete results over a three-year period to gauge the effect that continued therapy and aggressive exercise  may have for both recent and chronically injured patients recovering from neurologic injury.

Thanks to our supporters and partners, we are making affordable rehabilitation a reality!

2nd Annual “Swing Fore Hope” Raises $24,000!

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Major thanks to the 100+ golfers and all sponsors that made the “2019 Swing Fore Hope” charity golf scramble a success! We had a blast at Ironwood Golf Club and raised $24,000 for NeuroHope, which provides long-term rehabilitation and wellness programs for people recovering from neurologic injury.

We have new “Champions of the Cup”: Brad Matthews, Steve Vance, Kevin Vance, and Jon Rolfsen who have 12 months to reign supreme! A special thanks goes to our event sponsors  Hensley Legal Group, PC, Incrediplex, Delta Faucet Company, and Langdon Shaw Associates.

It was a fantastic day made possible by the volunteers that secured our auction items, and the hole sponsors that made the day a success:

The National Bank of Indianapolis, Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, Sunrise Medical, Circle City Reporting, Bright Ideas of Broadripple, F.C. Tucker (Lannie Thompson), hc1 .com, Indie Asset Partners, Systemax Corporation, BATS Wireless, Rehabilitation Associates of Indiana, Patterson Horth General Contractors, tsAllen Photos, Lynch Harrison & Brumleve Inc., Burger King of Kokomo and Muncie, The George Insurance Agency, Sparenberg Farms, Ben Franklin, The Spickelmier Family, and The Phil and Karen Thomas Family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NeuroHope Wins $23,000 as Impact 100 Finalist

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For the second year in a row NeuroHope is proud to be named the “Health & Wellness” finalist by Impact 100 of Greater Indianapolis! This year our team was honored with a $23,000 check from the women’s giving circle which will directly help fund the services we provide for people living paralysis!

Impact 100 is one of the most competitive grants in the state. Each year five finalists in five categories advance past hundreds of other charities to be recognized as the “Change Maker of the Year” with a $100,000 grant. This year, the grand prize was presented to the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative in the “Arts & Culture” category for their effort to create a new National Monument commemorating Robert F. Kennedy’s famous speech in Indianapolis the night Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.

There are so many worthwhile charities in our community! It is an honor to be named among them by such a prestigious group that makes an impact across central Indiana each year.

Meanwhile – our fundraising continues! It’s fueled by the inspiring stories we have the privilege to witness at NeuroHope every day. If you missed our recent spotlight video that shows Alex Taylor’s progress over the last 18 months, CHECK IT OUT BELOW! He had a goal to WALK all the way to the arcade at the Incrediplex for a surprise!

We have launched a 12-MONTH goal to raise $100,000 in private fundraising (from donors like YOU) to help offset the cost of the affordable care we provide our patients. Out-of-pocket rates for physical therapy at most healthcare clinics cost $300 – $400 per hour. At NeuroHope we charge $50 to work with therapists / trainers, and rely on fundraising, grants, and corporate / community partnerships to bridge the funding gap. It is a TRUE model of care that puts patients and their families FIRST.

YOU CAN HELP NOW – Donate here!

Through the link above you can quickly make a one-time donation OR be a part of our recurring giving circle, which is a cornerstone of our grassroots campaign. At the site above, just enter your monthly contribution and CLICK the recurring button at checkout. If just 200 of our supporters pledge $25 per month ($300 per year) we are already more than halfway to our goal!

You can also be a part of one of our exciting fundraising events later this year!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
-“Swing Fore Hope” Golf Scramble : Monday September 24. We are signing up individual players, foursomes, and are looking for hole & event sponsors!

-Indy Monumental Marathon : Saturday November 9. Join team NeuroHope for the 5K, half-marathon, or full marathon!

Contact us us here for more information!

Vote NeuroHope for Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader’s $10,000 Community Challenge!

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The Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders have launched a “Community Impact Challenge” and NeuroHope needs YOUR VOTE to win a $10,000 grant!

Each member of the Colts cheer squad has picked a charity and a program to support.  NeuroHope is honored to have been selected by Vanessa Wahl, a Greenwood native in her second year with team, who shares our passion to provide affordable rehab for people living with and recovering from paralysis.

Vanessa’s campaign will help NeuroHope fund a re-vamped wellness program and will be a MAJOR boost to our services!  $10,000 comes down to your VOTES! Just a moment of your time can help change lives at NeuroHope.

Click here to vote! Scroll to the very bottom of the page and select “Vanessa – NeuroHope”, and spread the word!

Vote EARLY AND OFTEN! Polls close on December 16, 2018.  The winning project will be announced at the Indianapolis Colts vs New York Giants game on December 23!

Epidural Stimulation Study Allows Three More Paralyzed People to Take Steps

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In September, a breakthough in epidural stimulation research made global headlines.  The New England Journal of Medicine published work from The Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at the University of Louisville, which announced that four paralyzed people regained the ability to walk after being implanted with a stimulation device and undergoing months of physical training.
Now, a new study published in Nature and Nature Neuroscience has revealed similar results in three more spinal cord injured subjects.
Epidural stimulation involves surgery that implants a set of electrodes directly on to a person’s injured spinal cord.  A power pack is also implanted underneath the person’s skin.  When the device is turned on, the spinal cord is stimulated and messages are sent to the body that bypass the injury.  (Above photo credit: The Guardian)
Dr. Susan Harkema, Director of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network (NRN), was first behind epidural stimulation 8 years ago that restored function in multiple people with motor complete spinal cord injury.   Over the last several years her research has expanded and major milestones have been met.  First, epidural stimulation provided the ability to stand.  Then, bits of voluntary and task-specific movement were discovered.   Finally, unassisted STEPS took place.
All of these successes were performed in labs, and were combined with an incredible amount of time and repetition, but the results are fascinating, and the knowledge is still in its infancy.
NeuroHope joined the Reeve Foundation NRN earlier this year.  As a result, we are now one of a select number of sites in the world that is using what has been discovered about the unique electrical parameters in the implants, and investigating if it can be translated to Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) over the skin.  NMES is similar to Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), but uses pre-programmed, task specific activities set at exclusive FDA-approved parameters that are aimed at targeting both the muscle and the circuitry of the spinal cord itself.
It is not yet known if NMES has the ability to promote neurorecovery, but we are proud to begin data collection for the NRN and thankful for the opportunity to offer it in a plan of care for our clients.

“Swing Fore Hope” Scramble Raises $15,000!

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It was an AWESOME afternoon at NeuroHope’s  inaugural “Swing Fore Hope” charity golf scramble!  The rain and thunderstorms held off (somehow), and we had a great turnout.  30 Teams! 26 sponsors!  Thank you to all who spent the afternoon with us at The Fort Golf Resort.

A special thanks goes to Hensley Legal Group PC for helping to organize the festivities, Delta Faucet, who featured a faucet and shower head give-away, Andy Mohr Buick GMC, and our headlining sponsors The Incrediplex and Valeo Financial.

Shout out to our generous hole sponsors as well: Goodman Campbell Brain & Spine, Systemax Corporation, Leeuw Oberlies & Campbell PC, Langdon Shaw Associates, Scopelitis Garvin Light Hanson & Feary PC, hc1.com, Heidi Orth, Indie Asset Partners LLC, BATS Wireless, Bright Ideas in Broadripple, Kareo, Restorative Therapies Inc., Community Rehabilitation Hospital, ClaimAid, The National Bank of Indianapolis, Sparenberg Farms, Lannie Thompson: FC Tucker, Rehabilitation Associates of Indiana, Circle City Reporting, Mirazon, Jordan Lemons Construction, National Seating and Mobility, Sunrise Medical, David Bruce: State Farm, NuStep.

We had a fantastic time with a “Longest Drive”, “Closest-to-the-pin”, and “Tournament Champion”, along with raffles and an autographed racing suit courtesy of IndyCar driver Marco Andretti!  Together, we raised $15,000! Not to shabby for our first ever outing.

 


 

Chris Leeuw Awarded “Rosenbaum Friend of Physical Therapy” from INAPTA

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NeuroHope Founder and Executive Director Chris Leeuw was presented with the 2018 “William T. Rosenbaum Friend of Physical Therapy” award by the Indiana chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY on September 22.

From the INAPTA: “The award is presented to honor and recognize the accomplishments of those persons outside our profession who, through their dedicated assistance and support, have promoted our ideals and improved our profession.”

Leeuw was nominated and presented with the award by Donna Peterson, who was recognized as the Schneider PTA of the Year in 2017.  Peterson was Leeuw’s primary therapist during his two month inpatient rehabilitation following his 2010 spinal cord injury.  Five years later, she joined NeuroHope when Leeuw and physical therapist Nora Foster first launched the clinic to provide long-term, affordable therapy for neurologic injuries.

Peterson’s remarks:

“Chris Leeuw’s life changed in an instant when a little over 8 years ago, a perfect late summer day and adventure left him paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a C4-C5 SCI. I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting Chris during the early days of this journey as one of his first physical therapists in acute rehabilitation.  I knew then that Chris, along with his family, had a special drive that the injury and the status quo of the health care system would not contain.

 Fortunately for Chris, he demonstrated early signs that his injury was incomplete and his potential for recovery was great. What he was lacking was time, as insurance was pushing for discharge from acute rehab and the intensive therapy that his injury indicated.  Chris and his family, not taking “no” or “that’s how the system works”, as an answer fought for an alternative and found a program in Utah that offered affordable, long term rehabilitation options. Chris thrived in this environment and was able to make huge strides in his recovery. Upon his return to Indiana, Chris vowed to make a difference and began his quest to develop and provide a similar option in Indiana and change the paradigm of rehabilitation and wellness for individuals affected by and living with paralysis in Indiana.  

That’s how NeruoHope was born. In the months and years that followed, Chris worked tirelessly to fund and open NeuroHope in February 2015, a non-profit outpatient clinic with a mission to provide affordable, activity-based therapy to people living with and recovering from neurologic injury.

In the last few years, not only has Chris opened NeuroHope, but he has been instrumental in changing legislation that allows funding for long term rehabilitation and wellness, promoted awareness of the needs of those with neurological injuries, been a mentor, inspiration and friend to patients and supporters of Neurohope, facilitated the strategic affiliation with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network as a one of only 7 Community Fitness and Wellness Centers in the U.S.,  and lead multiple fundraising efforts which have allowed Neurohope to expand to offset the costs in providing services to countless individuals.  On top of that, his most outstanding achievement was hiring me. 

In all seriousness, I have been honored to have the unique opportunity to watch Chris battle his personal physical challenges with SCI, but take an idea and turn it into reality that benefits countless individuals.   I knew early on, that Chris would always look for a new road, a new way, and never stop striving to be the best version of himself.  Chris, through his relentless pursuit of his vision, has provided others with the opportunity to become the best version of themselves and allow them every possible chance for maximum recovery and the best quality of life possible.

I am honored to present Chris Leeuw, my former patient, current boss and long-time friend with the 2018 Bill Rosenbaum Friend of PT Award.”