Multicultural Outreach

The Paralysis Resource Center (PRC), a program of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (CDRF) and formed through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has established a Multicultural Outreach Network to promote informed health care decisions and active and independent living among those in the Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American/Pacific Islander and Native American communities living with paralysis.

Surveys by the National Organization on Disability have shown that despite slow and steady progress, people living with disabilities are still at a disadvantage, compared with other Americans, in critical areas, including education, employment, access to health care, and involvement in their communities. In addition, historically minority communities at large are at a disadvantage in society.  That is why the PRC believes that making a special effort to increase minority groups’ awareness of, and access to, the PRC and its services will help improve their quality of life by providing reliable information and referral through a single, focused resource.

Our goals for the PRC Multicultural Outreach Program are to:

1) Bring together medical professional, patient, and caregiver organizations to establish the PRC Multicultural Network, which will provide education to minority communities about paralysis.

2) Raise awareness and knowledge about living with paralysis among minority communities.

3) Provide the PRC Multicultural Network with monthly materials for possible distribution to their constituency.

4) Position the PRC as a reliable resource for minorities for information on paralysis.

5) Expand online resources available to minorities about paralysis.

6) Provide network partners with a forum to educate their constituencies on paralysis.

To become part of the PRC Multicultural Network, please contact media@christopherreeve.org.  We hope you’ll join us in this great initiative to help provide information to those living with paralysis — patients, caregivers, and medical professionals alike.

Current Partners:

 American Academy of Physical Therapy

http://www.aaptnet.org/

Adaptive Environments

http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org

California Rural Indian Health Board

http://www.crihb.org

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

http://www.apiahf.org

Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center

http://www.ahec.hawaii.edu

Sea of Dreams Foundation, Inc.

http://www.seaofdreams.org

National Asian Women’s Health Organization

http://www.nawho.org/about.html

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

http://www.nichcy.org/

American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R)

http://www.aapmr.org/

Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco

http://www.ilrcsf.org

National Medical Association

http://www.nmanet.org/

National Indian Health Board

http://www.nihb.org

American Association on Health and Disability

http://www.aahd.us