The Rick Hansen Institute recognizes that minimizing disability and maximizing quality of life can’t be accomplished by research and medicine alone. Our Community Partnerships Program strives to create partnerships at the provincial and community level to address the priority, unmet needs of people with SCI in practical, tangible ways and, where possible, with an immediate impact.

The two central strategies of our Community Partnerships Program are:

• working with Rick Hansen Institute partners to enhance service delivery by focusing on three priority areas – the Solutions Model, Active Living, and Peer Leadership
• working with Rick Hansen Institute partners to enhance capacity and develop initiatives that respond to the priority needs of people with SCI, utilizing collaborative funding mechanisms such as Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion, and provincial/territorial investments

Work accomplished against these strategies is helping the Rick Hansen Institute fulfill three of our six national objectives:

1. A significant reduction in the incidence and severity of secondary complications associated with SCI.
2. A significant increase in level of satisfaction with quality of life and community participation among people with SCI.
3. Ensuring that customized responses to priority unmet needs are available to 100% of individuals with SCI throughout their journey to full participation.