Dearborn Health Care Centers
The following Dearborn cerebral palsy resources may be helpful to the individuals and families affected by a birth injury or disability. Because Dearborn offers so many wonderful healthcare resources, we’ve only listed a few medical centers and their specific, disability- and birth injury-related services.
1. Oakwood Healthcare
- Oakwood Hospital – Dearborn, one of Wayne County’s largest teaching and research hospitals, has three medical residency programs partnered with Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. Of Oakwood Hospital’s many services, we’ve selected those that will be specifically beneficial to those patients touched by delivery or birth trauma—such clinical programs and services include Labor & Delivery, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, a Mother-Baby Unit, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatrics, Perinatal Education Services, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, General Surgery, Imaging, Inpatient Occupational Therapy, Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery, Inpatient Physical Therapy, and In- and Out-Patient Speech Therapy.
- Oakwood Outpatient Centers: Patients are welcome to visit any of the several smaller Oakwood Healthcare outpatient centers located throughout Dearborn. The medical centers we’re listed here are just a few of these facilities available around the city of Dearborn:
- Midwest Medical Center – Dearborn offers services including CT Scanning, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, OB/Gyn, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Outpatient Physical Therapy, Psychiatry, Ultrasound, and more.
- The Oakwood Family Center of Dearborn is a wonderful resource for the children and families affected by developmental disabilities—the center includes the Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families, the Oakwood Learning Center, and the University of Michigan Dearborn (UMD) Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC).
- The Oakwood Center For Exceptional Families (CEF) is a medical home for comprehensive rehabilitation care that serves children with special needs. The CEF supports programs including the Development of Individualized Healthcare Plans, Coordination of Healthcare Planning among Primary Care Physicians, School Personnel Collaboration, Behavioral and Psychosocial Support Services, Rehabilitation and Therapy Resources, Family Advocacy, and Support and Liaison with Community Service Agencies.
- The Oakwood Learning Center provides medical education and technology advancement for Oakwood’s clinical staff in order to ensure that all members of staff are properly trained.
- The University of Michigan Dearborn (UMD) Early Childhood Education Center runs an early education program hinged on boosting children’s critical thinking and problem solving skills. To learn more about the program, visit their site here.
- Oakwood Healthcare Center – Mercury Drive’s Dietary Counseling and Social Work services may serve as beneficial complementary forms of treatment to children with brain injury, cerebral palsy, or other birth injuries.
- Oakwood OB/Gyn Associates Dearborn offers Family Planning, Minimally Invasive Procedures, Routine Gynecology, Gynecological Screenings, Ultrasounds, Prenatal Care, and Labor and Delivery.
- Oakwood Physical Therapy and Wellness Center – Dearborn offers Outpatient Physical Therapy and various fitness programs and facilities.
2. Henry Ford Health System
- Henry Ford Medial Center – Fairlane offers programs and clinical services including Audiology and Hearing Aids, the Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic, Imaging, Pediatric and Adult Emergency Medicine, Foot and Ankle Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Occupational Therapy, Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, Speech Pathology and Therapy, Women’s Health, and more.
- Henry Ford Medical Center–Ford Road provides Obstetrics & Gynecology care, Pediatrics, Physical Rehabilitation, Women’s Health, and more.
3. Detroit Medical Center
DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM): Dearborn is home to two DMC RIM Physical Therapy Outpatient Facilities—the DMC RIM Dearborn Center, which provides Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine, and Orthopedic Therapy, and the DMC RIM at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, which offers Physical Therapy, Pool Therapy (Aquatic Therapy), Sports Medicine, and Orthopedic Therapy.
- DMC Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery – Dearborn’s: This DMC facility offers services that may be beneficial to patients with birth injuries with resultant orthopedic injuries or abnormalities.
- DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan Specialty Center: Located in Dearborn, Michigan, this DMC facility specializes in pediatric EEG testing, Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, and more.
4. Other Health Care Centers in Dearborn
- Dearborn Obstetrics & Gynecology provides services and clinical programs including Gynecology, Prenatal Care, High Risk and First Time Pregnancies, Elective Cesarean Section, and pregnancy complication services including Preterm Labor, Gestational Diabetes and Preeclampsia, Ultrasound, Hospital Care, and more. To ensure that patients receive proper medical care, Dearborn Obstetrics & Gynecology is partnered with the Dearborn Surgery Center, Oakwood Hospital, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, and Hutzel Women’s Hospital.
- Midwest Health System – Dearborn Provides medical services including Internal Medicine, Neurology, Orthopedics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine, Psychiatry, and Surgery. Midwest Health System Dearborn also offers health education courses and physical and occupational therapy services.
- Michigan Neurology Associates, P.C., located in Dearborn, Michigan, provides diagnostic and treatment services for a range of adult and pediatric neurological disorders, injuries, and conditions. Common diagnoses handled at Michigan Neurology Associates include cerebral palsy (CP), learning disorders, autism, back pain, Bell’s palsy, cephalic disorders, chronic pain, encephalitis, hydrocephalus, movement disorders, neuropathy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), seizures, epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, vertigo, and many others. Testing services include MRI, ultrasound, urodynamics, ENG, EMG, evoked potentials, TCD, sleep lab, and lumbar puncture. Therapeutic services include physical therapy, pain management, acupuncture, and Botox therapy. Other Michigan Neurology Association, P.C. locations include Clinton Township, Saginaw, Utica, and St. Clair Shores.
Cerebral Palsy Resources in Dearborn
Care, Finance, and Insurance Resources
- Dearborn’s major health care centers provide information regarding cash assistance, health insurance, and other financial aid matters. To learn more about the specific plans at each health care center, follow the links below:
- The Arc Dearborn provides information regarding future planning and system navigation for the vulnerable, low-income, or uninsured families that require specific medical attention, modified lifestyle arrangements, or specialized life planning services.
- The Social Security Administration office in Dearborn assists Dearborn residents with questions and concerns about social security. The office is located in Suite 200 at 19853 Outer Drive Dearborn, MI 48124.
Lifestyle Resources: Dearborn Cerebral Palsy Resources
1. Educational Resources
- The University of Michigan Dearborn’s Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) program bases its educational curricula from cutting-edge child development and early childhood education research. Classes aim to educate each student physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, linguistically, and recreationally. The program accepts children of different abilities from Dearborn.
- Starfish Family Services – Inkster: Starfish implemented the Inkster Early Childhood Strategy in 2012, a program that provides services to children and families to prepare them for the “best possible childhood experiences.” Services include family educational events, after-school programs, and emergency shelters.
- Dearborn Head Start Programs are pre-Kindergarten programs designed to support early childhood growth, development, and wellness. Below we’ve listed the Head Start Program locations in Dearborn, along with their contact numbers:
- ACCESS: (313) 297‐4269
- M&M Childcare Center: (313) 846‐3198
- St. Albert the Great of Dearborn Heights: (313) 278‐9604
- Futures Education is a private educational agency that provides special education supports for public school systems in America. With an office in Dearborn, Futures Education provides educational services including Educational Service Analysis (ESA), Special Education Consulting, IEP Practice Platforms, Professional Development, Educational Leadership, and more. To read more about Futures Education and its programs, click here.
- Dearborn Public School Districts: All of Dearborn’s public school districts provide special needs students ages birth to 26 with personalized assistance as mandated by federal and state regulations.
- Dearborn Public Schools Special Education sponsors a variety of support and educational programs for special needs children and their parents, which you can read more about here.
- Dearborn Heights #7 Special Education services work to provide special needs students with resources in accordance with the least restrictive environment (LRE) principle. The district encourages all students to participate in general education to the extent of their abilities. For students with more specific needs, Dearborn Heights SD#7 provides the necessary resources.
- Westwood Community School District: To learn more about the special education services available at Dearborn Heights’ Westwood Community School District, reach out to the contacts listed here.
- Crestwood School District: To learn more about the special education accommodations at this Dearborn Heights school, visit their webpage here.
2. Care
- Dearborn Head Start Child Care: Many of the Head Start Program locations that we discussed in the Education section also serve as child care facilities. Below we’ve listed the Head Start Child Care Centers in and around Dearborn:
- The YWCA of Western Wayne County Head Start runs a Child Care Center in Inkster, Michigan for children ages 2 ½ to 5. This free preschool program provides either full or partial day classes and home-based options for children of different abilities.
- YWCA of Western Wayne County ACCESS Head Start Child Care Center cares for children ages 2 to 5.
- YWCA of Western Wayne County St. Albert the Great Head Start Child Care Center in Dearborn Heights provides full day child care services, transportation, preschool, and a food service.
- M&M Early Learning Academy provides child care for preschool children in an educational environment. Parents can choose from six different preschool options based on age, ability, and preference.
- Other child care providers in Dearborn include CHUP Co-Op Preschool, Dearborn KinderCare, Dreamy Children’s Center, and many others. Additionally, care.com is a company that connects special needs care employers with those in need of care services in various cities.
3. Employment
- ACCESS, a Dearborn human services nonprofit, has two specific employment resources for individuals with disabilities in the Dearborn area:
- Michigan Rehabilitative Services (MRS) assists individuals with disabilities in job evaluation, training, and support.
- WIA Youth Programs aim to remove the barriers that impede youths from achieving their professional, social, and academic goals. WIA Youth Programs provide tutoring and study skills lessons, connect high-risk students with employment opportunities, and offer leadership development opportunities. To be eligible, participants must be between the ages of 16 and 21, have low income, have at least one factor that puts them at risk of unemployment, or have a disability that required additional assistance.
- Services to Enhance Potential (STEP) provides personal fulfillment, employment, and skills training services to Dearborn residents with developmental disabilities. The Dearborn Resource Center offers workshops, community-based employment opportunities, placement, and related services. Other STEP Resources Centers are located in Wayne, Detroit, Wyandotte, and Livonia.
4. Housing
This City of Dearborn resource answers questions regarding Section Eight (federally subsidized) housing, wait lists for specialized and subsidized housing, housing discrimination, and housing for handicapped and disabled residents.
5. Transportation
SMART: Dearborn residents with disabilities who are under the age of 65 are eligible for SMART’s Disability Reduced Fare for transportation within Dearborn. SMART also offers ADA Paratransit (Parallel Transportation), an advance reservation, curbside service reserved for those patrons who are unable to use the fixed-route service because of a disability.
6. Adaptive Equipment
- Oakwood’s Home Care Services provide patients with the medical equipment necessary to live away from the hospital. To see a full list of available technologies and equipment, visit their site here. Additionally, the Oakwood hospitals in Dearborn and Southgate provide telephone devices for the deaf.
- Henry Ford Health System offers Health Products and Equipment services through their hospital in Wyandotte. Equipment offerings include bathroom and home safety aids, assistive technologies, home care, medical supplies, and everything in between. Additionally, the Henry Ford Medical Center – Farilane facility provides Audiology and Hearing Aid services including testing, cause determination, prognosis, and assistive technologies.
7. Accessible Playgrounds
Disabled and handicapped children in Dearborn can enjoy the nearest accessible playground, the Play 4 All Playground, which is located in Wayne, Michigan. The play structure is in Soroptimist Park at 35700 John St., Wayne, MI 48184.
Organizations, Support, and Awareness Information
1. Foundations and Charities
- The Oakwood Healthcare Foundation accepts donations in order to advance its medical facilities and research, community benefit programs, children’s programs, scholarships, women’s services, seniors, the Center for Exceptional Families, and Southshore Promise. To learn more or make a donation, visit their webpage here.
- Starfish Family Services, a private nonprofit agency in Inkster, Michigan, provides child development and parenting programs to vulnerable families in metro Detroit. Their programs include children’s mental health services, the Maternal-Infant Health Program, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, after-school programs, emergency relief for teens and youth, and more.
2. Community and Disability Organizations
- The Arc of Dearborn is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that provides a range of informational, advocacy, and supportive services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Some specific programs and services available through the Arc of Dearborn include the Community Program, Parent Mentorship, Independence Facilitation, System Navigation, Future Planning, and Dignified Lifestyles.
- ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) is a human services nonprofit based in Dearborn that focuses on serving vulnerable and in-need members of the community. ACCESS’s educational, youth, employment, and human service initiatives can help disabled Wayne County residents increase independence, success, and well-being. To learn more about ACCESS’s specific programs and services, visit their webpage here.
- Dearborn Commission on Disability Concerns is a community outreach program chartered by the mayor of Dearborn that aims to address the concerns of disabled residents and make city programs more inclusive to all residents with disabilities.
3. Family and Parent Resources
- The Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families offers a number of support services to the parents, families, siblings, and loved ones of those affected by a disability. Some programs include Mom’s Support, Teen Advocacy Group, Teen Night Out programs, seminars, parties, advocacy programs, camps, and more.
- The Center for Exceptional Families Sibshop is a peer support group dedicated to addressing the concerns of children that have disabled siblings. Run by the Sibling Support Project, a larger national program that works to resolve sibling issues, this local program meets weekly in Dearborn and is reserved for children ages 7-12. To join or learn more about the support group, call (313) 996-1968.
- Oakwood Hospital – Dearborn provides in-house spiritual support services, palliative care, and counseling services for the families and loved ones of disabled children.
- The Arc Dearborn Parent Mentorship Service pairs knowledgeable parent mentors with the parents of special needs children. Parent mentors connect families with helpful resources, information, assistance, and opportunities necessary to support their children.
Treatment and Therapy Resources: Dearborn Cerebral Palsy Resources
1. Interdisciplinary Therapy Programs
- The Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families (CEF) Therapy Services Program specifically treats children who require intensive, comprehensive therapy plans. Therapy regimens are based on the individual’s rehabilitation needs and often blend physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, feeding and swallowing therapy, and recreational therapy practices. Other therapy options include positioning, bracing and splintering, serial casting, and direct therapy. CEF serves all children with a range of special needs from birth to adulthood.
- Futures Healthcare, a private partner of Futures HealthCore, is a healthcare agency that delivers quality, cost-effective clinical services to in-need patients. The Futures HealthCore Therapy Center in Dearborn provides comprehensive and individualized physical, occupational, psychology, and speech-language therapy services to children and their families. Additionally, Futures HealthCore staff provide nutritional guidance and in-home services to the patients that cannot receive outpatient services.
2. Physical Therapy
The DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan has two outpatient physical therapy facilities located in Dearborn–the DMC RIM Dearborn Center and the DMC RIM at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.
- Oakwood Healthcare offers physical therapy services at the Oakwood Hospital – Dearborn, the Midwest Medical Center, and the Oakwood Physical Therapy and Wellness Center – Dearborn.
- Additionally, the Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families Physical Therapy services focus specifically on special needs children with intensive therapy needs. Physical therapy exercises include balance training, neuromuscular retraining, gait training, strengthening and stretching, splinting, equipment training, and more.
3. Recreational Therapy
- Aquatic Therapy: The DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan offers aquatic therapy at its location in Dearborn’s Ford Community and Performing Arts Center.
- Art Therapy:
- Dearborn Specials/Arts & Recreation Enabling is a Dearborn Parks & Recreation program that offers artistic activities such as dance, swimming, crafts, and game nights for residents with disabilities and their friends and families. To learn more about their programs and to see the current schedule, visit their webpage.
- The Dearborn Community Arts Council’s VSA Arts/Michigan/Dearborn Programs fund and implement arts programs for individuals with disabilities. One of VSA Dearborn’s major fundraising events is the Annual Art of the Avenue Preview party.
4. Occupational Therapy
- Henry Ford Medical Center-Fairlane provides occupational therapy services that focus on improving basic motor and reasoning skills through exercises and therapeutic training.
- Oakwood Hospital – Dearborn offers specialized occupational therapy services for children. Additionally, the Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families’ Occupational Therapy Program integrates kitchen, bathroom, and other daily facilities into therapy sessions to prepare children for school and daily life. Occupational therapy exercises include balance and coordination, community safety, driving rehab, handwriting, mobility, self-care, sensory integration, hand therapy, and more.
5. Speech and Language Therapy
- Henry Ford Medical Center-Fairlane offers rehabilitation services including evaluation and treatment for patients with speech, voice, language, hearing, and swallowing issues.
- The Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families Speech-Language Pathology services help children with oral and maxillofacial disorders, articulation voice disorders, developmental delays, social skill impairments, auditory processing disorders, and more. Their Feeding and Swallowing Therapy program rehabilitates children with feeding and swallowing issues through videofluoroscopic swallow studies, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and other swallowing studies.
4. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
Oakwood Healthcare provides Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) at their Oakwood Dearborn Medical Park Building. For more information about HBOT services at this location, call (313) 438-7959.
Medical Resources in Dearborn
1. Diagnostic Testing
The DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan Specialty Center in Dearborn specializes in pediatric neurology and provides pediatric EEG tests that help detect, monitor, and control the resultant seizures and epilepsy in a lot of cerebral palsy patients. Some of the many specialized services and treatments available at DMC’s Pediatric Neurology department include ADD/ADHD, autism, brain trauma, cerebral palsy, craniofacial injuries, developmental and behavioral issues, epilepsy and seizure disorders, hydrocephalus, neuromuscular diseases, brachial plexus injuries, neuropsychological testing, pediatric stroke, spinal cord injuries, surgery, and more. Locations for DMC Pediatric Neurology include Bloomfield Hills, Canton, Clinton Township, Detroit, and Southfield.
2. Surgery and Medications
- Henry Ford Medical Center-Fairlane’s Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic provides corrective surgery and continual care for patients from infants through adulthood. Additionally, the Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic offers foot and ankle surgical services for trauma, injuries, and other foot and ankle issues. These surgeries are potentially beneficial to children injured during pregnancy or delivery.
- The Oakwood Center for Exceptional Families provides procedures, some surgical, that improve spasticity in children with lasting birth injuries. Some procedures and services include Botox Intramuscular Injections, Oral Medicines, Orthopedic Surgery, Intrathecal Baclofen Pump, and Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. To read more about these procedures, visit the CEF webpage here.