Craig Hospital is a
neurorehabilitation
Neurorehabilitation is a complex medical process which aims to aid recovery from a nervous system injury, and to minimize and/or compensate for any functional alterations resulting from it.
Features
In case of a serious disability, such as caused ...
and
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
in
Englewood, Colorado
The City of Englewood is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 33,659 at the 2020 United States Census. Englewood is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Stati ...
specializing in
spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cor ...
(SCI) and
traumatic brain injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...
(TBI) rehabilitation and research.
Craig is a 93-bed, private, not-for-profit, free-standing long-term acute care and rehabilitation hospital that provides a comprehensive system of inpatient and outpatient medical care, rehabilitation, neurosurgical rehabilitative care, and long-term follow-up services. Half of Craig's patients come from outside of Colorado each year, and in the past four years Craig has treated patients from all 50 states and several foreign countries. At any given time, the staff a
Craig treatsapproximately 55 inpatients with spinal cord injuries, 30 with traumatic brain injuries, and 50-60 outpatients. Craig provides housing for out-of-state families and outpatients, including the first 30 days free for families of new inpatients.
Craig Hospital is designated by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research (NIDRR) as a Model System Center for both spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. Craig is also the NIDRR National Statistical TBI database for the other 15 Model System Centers in the U.S.
History
![Craig Colony 1920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Craig_Colony_1920.jpg)
In 1907, Frank Craig started the Tent Colony of Brotherly Love in
Lakewood, Colorado
The City of Lakewood is the home rule municipality that is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 155,984 at the 2020 U.S. Census making Lakewood the fifth most populous city in Col ...
to treat indigent men with
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. Craig himself died from tuberculosis in 1914 and the tent colony was renamed Craig Colony in his memory in 1919.
As the demand for tuberculosis treatment waned in the United States, Craig Colony began focusing on the diagnoses and treatment of multiple sclerosis, polio, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injury (SCI). The facility is renamed Craig Rehabilitation Center in 1958, followed by another renaming to Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in 1966 and a move to
Englewood, Colorado
The City of Englewood is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 33,659 at the 2020 United States Census. Englewood is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Stati ...
in 1970 where an 80-bed rehabilitation hospital was built adjacent to the
Swedish Medical Center
Swedish Health Services, formerly Swedish Medical Center, is the largest nonprofit health provider in the Seattle metropolitan area. It operates five hospital campuses (in the Seattle neighborhoods of First Hill, Cherry Hill and Ballard, and th ...
to share ancillary services.
The 1970s brought a change to the facility's current name, Craig Hospital, in 1975 and the establishment of a separate traumatic brain injury team. Research and building construction were seen throughout the next two decades, including an increase of beds from 80 to 93.
Research
The Craig Hospital Research Department currently has a staff of 23 with an annual budget of $4 million in federal, state, foundation, and industry-sponsored grants devoted to conducting a wide variety of applied spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation research. In addition, funds raised from the annual PUSH Dinner support more basic research.
The Research Department was established in 1974 when Craig Hospital was first awarded a Spinal Cord Injury Model System grant from the US Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). In 1998, Craig's brain injury program received a similar designation when it was first named a TBI Model System. Each Model System project consists of a three-pronged research effort: contributing to a national longitudinal database, conducting local research projects that are of interest and importance to Craig, and collaborating with other Model Systems in research of common interest.
In 2006, Craig was named the TBI Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center, managing the TBI National Database and coordinating research among all TBI Model Systems.
Craig currently receives research funding not only from NIDRR, but also from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Colorado TBI Trust Fund, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) which is part of the Department of Defense, other researchers via subcontracts, and pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies. As research has become more important to the mission and reputation of Craig, the Research Department has increased collaboration with other institutions by leading and participating in multi-center research and becoming a national research coordinating center.
Campus Revitalization and Expansion Project
In 2016, Craig completed a $90 million, three-year construction and expansion project that added 85,000 square feet of new space and renovated 135,000 square feet of existing space.
Notable patients
*
Columbine High School massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
victims – Four of the students injured in the 1999 attack received treatment at Craig.
*George Congrave –
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
player suffered a brain injury during a game in 1958.
*
Roy Horn
Siegfried & Roy were a duo of German-American magicians and entertainers, best known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers. It was composed of Siegfried Fischbacher (June 13, 1939 – January 13, 2021) and Roy Horn (born Uwe L ...
– Part of
Siegfried and Roy
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
lion and tiger entertainment act was injured when attacked by a tiger during a stage show in 2003.
*Jason Dorwart – Assistant Professor of Global Theatre Studies at
Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts education, liberal arts institution with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of Ame ...
, previously at
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
, actor and former board Vice-Chairperson of
PHAMALY theater group
*Trish Downing – Competitive cyclist suffered a spinal cord injury in 2000.
*Regan Linton – Actor and member of
PHAMALY theater group.
*
Tara Llanes
Tara Janelle Llanes (born November 28, 1976 in West Covina, California United States) is a Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and a wheelchair basketball player whose prime competitive years were from 1990-1993. She became a champion Mountain Bike (MT ...
– Professional mountain bike racer. Suffered spinal cord injury in 2007.
*
Steven McDonald
Steven D. McDonald (March 1, 1957 January 10, 2017) was a New York City Police Department patrolman who was shot and paralyzed on July 12, 1986. The shooting left him quadriplegic.
Shooting
A former U.S. Navy hospital corpsman and third gene ...
–
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
police officer shot and paralyzed in the line of duty in 1986.
*
Stephen Murray –
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the earl ...
dirt rider paralyzed attempting a double back flip at the Dew Action Sports Tour BMX Dirt Finals in Baltimore, Maryland in 2007.
*
Kevin Pearce – Professional snowboarder, suffered traumatic brain injury during training run in December 2009.
*Victoria L. Popdan-American author, suffered spinal cord injury, car accident, 1991 (age 17)
Alice_ReduxElectric Grace
*
Jason Regier – Captain of the Denver Harlequins,
Quadriplegic
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...
rugby team (
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is practised in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic sport.
The US name ...
), Member, 2008 Quad Rugby
Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
American Team, Suffered spinal cord injury in car accident in 1996.
*
Willie Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories.
Early life
Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sh ...
– American
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
. Suffered spinal cord injury in 1991.
*
Randy Snow
Randy Snow (May 24, 1959 – November 19, 2009) was the first Paralympic Games, Paralympian to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the first paralympian to win medals in three different sports: track, basketball and tennis.Cindy S ...
- Three-time
Paralympian
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
medalist, first Paralympian to be inducted into the
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame is an honor roll of the top American Olympic and Paralympic athletes headquartered at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, opened in April 2020 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Hall ...
. Suffered spinal cord injury at age 16 in 1975.
*Chance Sumner – Member of Denver Harlequins,
Quadriplegic
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...
rugby team (
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is practised in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic sport.
The US name ...
), Member of 2008 Quad Rugby
Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
American team. Suffered a spinal cord injury in 2002 when he was thrown off a mechanical bull.
*Herb Tabak – Author and pilot
*Tommy Urbanski – Former professional wrestler, suffered spinal cord injury after shooting incident in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
with pro football player
Pacman Jones
Adam Bernard Jones (born September 30, 1983) is a former American football cornerback and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, most notably with the Cincinnati Bengals. Nicknamed "Pacman", he was dra ...
in February 2009.
*
Mike Utley
Michael Gerard Utley (born December 20, 1965) is a former American football player. He played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1989 through 1991, when he was paralyzed during a game.
Early life and college career
A gra ...
–
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player, paralyzed while playing for the
Detroit Lion during a game against the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
in 1991.
*
Doak Walker
Ewell Doak Walker II (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. Walker then played professi ...
–
American Football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player and former
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner, suffered spinal cord injury while skiing in 1998.
*
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...
– Former Governor of
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, shot and paralyzed in assassination attempt while campaigning for President of the United States in 1972.
*
Robert Wickens
Robert Tyler Wickens (born March 13, 1989) is a Canadian racing driver from Guelph, Ontario, driving in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport. In 2009 he finished in second place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, and in 2010 he ...
-Race Car Driver, injured at Pocono Raceway in a 2018 INDYCAR race
*Benny Cumberbatch -independent pro wrestler paralyzed during a show in September 2021.
References
External links
Craig Hospital official website
{{authority control
Hospitals in Colorado
Hospital buildings completed in 1970
Rehabilitation medicine organizations based in the United States
Englewood, Colorado
Buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado