For Immediate Release
Contact: Derek Berry
Washington, DC – February 25, 2010 – National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) will work with U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), and Trinity University to hold the annual Paralympic Experience. The event will be held at the Trinity University Center for Sports, 125 Michigan Avenue, NE, in D.C. on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Participation in the Experience is free and open to the public. The goal of this event is to introduce students with physical disabilities, ages 12-18, to the world of paralympic sports. The Paralympic Experience provides those who attend with the equipment needed for all activities throughout the day. Quad rugby, hand cycling and wheelchair basketball are a few of the scheduled activities. Coaches and athletes will be available to interact with the students and provide hands-on participation for the various sports.
“The Paralympics Experience program encourages physical fitness and overall well-being in children with physical disabilities, and we are thrilled to be working with National Rehabilitation Hospital on this initiative,” said Charlie Huebner, USOC Chief of Paralympics. “Research shows that youth with physical disabilities who participate in physical activity are healthier, more successful in school and have enhanced quality of life.”
For more information contact 202-877-1427 or email Liz Thrush at Elizabeth.M.Thrush@medstar.net.
National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) is a private, not-for-profit facility located in Northwest Washington, D.C. NRH’s services are designed specifically for the rehabilitation of individuals with disabling injuries and illnesses such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and disease, arthritis, amputations, post-polio syndrome, chronic pain, back and neck pain, occupational injuries, cancer and cardiac disease that require medical rehabilitation, and other neurological and orthopedic conditions. NRH admits approximately 2,200 inpatients annually, has appeared on the “Best Hospitals” list in U.S. News & World Report for 15 consecutive years and is currently ranked among the top hospitals in medical rehabilitation in America. NRH has the only CARF accredited specialty program for both Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke in the region. In addition, NRH’s Spinal Cord Injury Program has been designated one of only 14 Model SCI Systems of care in the country by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the Department of Education. NRH is a proud member of MedStar Health.