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One of the most striking features of the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre is its spiraling, three-story wheelchair ramp. Perhaps more than anything, this rampway serves as a metaphor for all that happens here. Ever onward. Ever forward. Ever upward.The Blusson Spinal Cord Centre is the world’s largest, most advanced and most comprehensive facility completely dedicated to the pursuit of spine and spinal cord research and patient care. Opened in 2008,the Blusson Centre is one of the world’s most accessible buildings, starting from the ground up.
The first floor includes space that can be adapted with accessible fittings for home and work environments for training those with spinal cord injuries. It also features research facilities dedicated to improving wheelchair design.
The second floor is home to the Brenda & David McLean Integrated Spine Clinic which provides clinical services to the Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute group of surgeons. It features specialized clinical services for pain management, sexual health, skin and wound care, urodynamics as well as a dedicated x-ray suite.
The third floor at the Blusson Centre incorporates rehabilitation gym facilities, a human performance lab for cardiovascular and respiratory health, along with advance projects like the Brain Interface, which helps adapt common technology to help people with severe physical disability use thoughts to control their environment.
Floors four and five are the home of ICORD, the International Collaboration on Research Discoveries. By having ICORD’s multi-disciplinary researchers together under one roof, they are able to work closely with not only each other, but directly with patients who are living with spinal cord injuries. This has accelerated the development and implementation of innovative new therapies and practices designed to promote functional recovery and improve quality of life.
The sixth floor is home to the business offices of the Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute as well as the Rick Hansen Institute.
The Blusson Spinal Cord Centre is named in honour of Dr. Stewart and Mrs. Marilyn Blusson in recognition and gratitude for their generous donation towards its construction.
