Craig Hospital’s Nurse Advice Line Provides Crucial Health Services

Recently, a former Craig Hospital patient who was living with a brain injury began experiencing a headache. His wife called Craig’s Nurse Advice Line (NAL), where a nurse advised her to take her husband to the emergency room. There, the ER providers, who had little experience with brain injuries, sent the couple home.

Upon learning of this outcome, the NAL nurse urged the couple to go to a different hospital immediately, where imaging revealed a potentially fatal abscess in the patient’s brain. The patient was rushed into emergency surgery, which ended up saving his life.

 This is just one example of how Craig’s donor-sponsored NAL helps individuals living with a spinal cord or brain injury.

“We developed the nurse advice line in 2008 after seeing a need for specialized care,” explains Cat Davis, Craig’s Nurse Advice Line Program coordinator. “Patients were leaving Craig and returning home, expecting their healthcare providers to have the same knowledge as their care team at Craig. But that wasn’t the case—especially for individuals living in rural areas where expertise in spinal cord and brain injuries is extremely limited.”

The main goal of the NAL is to provide nursing advice to people living with a BI or SCI, their families, caregivers or healthcare providers. Callers do not have to be Craig Hospital grads to use the NAL.

“Our nurses help callers identify potential health complications before they become serious issues, which increases their well-being,” Cat says. “NAL nurses address a wide range of patient concerns, such as skin problems and bowel/bladder issues.”

Without access to specialized care, these individuals risk jeopardizing their health, as well as their ability to continue living independently, because they encounter a preventable medical problem or have trouble finding appropriate resources in their communities.

And that’s where the NAL comes into play.

The free Nurse Advice Line is the only phone-based care and education program in the U.S. that offers specialized nursing information to people living with SCI and BI.

“Because the program is open to anyone, every NAL nurse must maintain a license in all 50 states and Washington D.C.,” Cat explains. “And not only do they answer health questions, but they also provide educational resources about living with a SCI/BI, and they spend as much time as needed with each caller.”

Craig’s NAL—unlike many nursing hotlines—imposes no limit on the time nurses can spend helping each caller. If NAL nurses are unable to answer a caller’s question immediately, they will reach out to other Craig providers who have the necessary expertise, then take the time to call the person back.

And because none of the NAL nurses’ time is billable, Craig relies on philanthropic partners to cover the program’s cost. Partnerships help the hospital maintain the staffing levels needed to provide this exceptional level of service.

In fact, in 2012, the NAL became one of the newest programs ever to receive the highly prestigious Magnet Prize from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Upon awarding the prize to the NAL, the ANCC executive director described Craig’s program as “an innovative resource which blends comprehensive scope and outreach, essential advice to a vulnerable patient population, impressive outcomes, satisfied patients, and national impact.”

Cat adds, “There is no question that the NAL helps people living with severe neurological injuries. The service provides vital health-related advice and peace of mind after being discharged home to widespread, and even remote, locations.”

THE NURSE ADVICE LINE IS NOT FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. IF YOU OR SOMEONE SPEAKING TO THE NURSE ADVICE LINE ON THE PHONE IS EXPERIENCING AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE HANG UP AND CALL 911 OR VISIT THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ROOM.

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (MT)
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Phone number: 800-247-0257 or 303-789-8508

The Nurse Advice Line is supported in part by grants and individual donations. Visit the Craig Foundation to learn how you can support this vital program.