PHILADELPHIA – Magee Rehabilitation Hospital recently received a $164,000 grant from the Percival Roberts, Jr. Trust to support Magee’s Prevention, Education, and Transition (PET) Program for Children and Adolescents.

Magee’s PET program is designed to prevent injury and violence among youth, provide physical and cognitive rehabilitation services to adolescents, educate children and adolescents with disabilities, and help youth with disabilities adapt to life in the community.  The program provides an opportunity for children and adolescents with disabilities to gain the skills they need to experience greater personal independence. It also serves to educate able-bodied youth on the potential consequences of risky behavior.

The grant from the Roberts Trust will be used for the following adolescent related programs/personnel/equipment:

• Think First Injury and Violence Prevention Program
  The mission of Think First is to prevent head and spinal cord injuries in children and adolescents through education and community awareness projects, and to serve as a resource to educational institutions and healthcare providers for injury prevention. The program aims to increase awareness about the risks of traumatic injuries among adolescents and young adults. Students are educated about their own risk taking behavior and also asked to adopt strategies that will prevent injuries to both themselves and others.
• Community Transition and Education Rehabilitation Program Serving Individuals with Disabilities from Childhood through Adolescence through Adulthood
  Magee's Community Transition and Education Rehabilitation Program will provide an opportunity for children and adolescents with disabilities to learn the skills they need to build for the future and experience greater personal independence. Individualized education and training will be provided both within Magee's Lifetime Follow Up System of Care outpatient clinic, and within the actual community settings in which they reside. Training areas include: educational/academic pursuits, job coaching, leisure skills and implementation, transportation, community resources, pre vocational exploration, vocational roles, community accessibility, health and wellness, psychosocial roles and adjustment, and adaptations of equipment.

This program will also include education for family members of a newly disabled adolescent.  Family Education and Support Group resources will advise family members on how to support and interact with the disabled adolescent. Potential topics include returning to school, interacting with friends, and treating the adolescent as a contributing part of the family.