Support for Burn Patients and Families
Burn injuries can be devastating. If you have been touched by burn injury, you may experience physical, emotional, social and financial challenges associated with your injury or the injury of a loved one. The following programs at UC San Diego Health System exist to encourage, inform and bring together burn survivors. At the bottom of the page are links to other burn-related organizations and resources.
Call John Noordenbos at 619-543-7403 for more information about any of these programs.
Burn Support Group
3rd Wednesday of every month, 6 p.m.
UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest.
The burn support group is for inpatient and outpatient burn survivors and their loved ones. The monthly relaxed gathering, facilitated by Burn Center staff members and survivors, encourages participants to share their experiences, discuss daily recovery strategies and provide encouragement and support to burn survivors.
School Re-entry Program
The School Re-entry Program helps children returning to school after sustaining a burn injury by preparing classmates and teachers for the child’s return. The program is designed to help classmates and teachers understand more about burns, burn prevention, encourage accepting behavior toward the burn survivor, and provide an opportunity for classmates to express their feelings about the child's injury.
Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery (SOAR)
Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery (SOAR) is a program designed by The Phoenix Society and a national committee of experts to provide training to burn survivors or their family members who want to volunteer to help others whose lives have been touched by burn injury. SOAR participants are coached on how to work in a hospital setting, the role of the peer supporter, boundaries, do's and don'ts and communication skills. Peer support is a valuable tool for individuals adapting to burn injury.
Brave Heart Kids Program
The Brave Heart Kids Program is a peer support program sponsored by the Regional Burn Center for child and teenage burn survivors and their families. The program promotes self esteem, allows kids to network with each other, and provides opportunity for interaction with positive role models from the local adult burn survivor community.
Youth Programs
Partnering with the Burn Institute, UC San Diego Regional Burn Center participates in numerous activities for kids in the rehabilitation phase of their burn recovery, and afterward. Youth programs provide a therapeutic recreational and safe setting for children to be together, find support and have fun. Programs inlude field trips to entertainment parks, beach outings and holiday celebrations. One of the most powerful programs is Camp Beyond the Stars, a summer camp for burn survivors held at Camp Cuyamaca, CA.
Adult Programs
Also in conjuction with the Burn Institute, the Regional Burn Center offers a variety of peer-to-peer support opportunities for adults who are recovering from burn injury. This includes a popular annual retreat for adult burn survivors.
Links
See Patient Resources for links related to non-burn related trauma.
Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation
California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing burns and fires and providing services to people of all ages who have been affected by burn injury.
American Burn Association
Responsible for developing national standards for the care of patients with burns and supporting burn-related research, education, care, rehabilitation and prevention.
Burn Institute
Dedicated to burn injury prevention and survivor support programs in San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Burn Survivor Resource Center
Links to organizations dedicated to assisting burn survivors and their families.
NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences: Burns Factsheet
Brief Q&A fact sheet on burns and more online resources.
The Phoenix Society
Resources for burn survivors, their friends and loved ones, firefighters and medical professionals.
US Fire Administration
Educational material on home fires, cooking fires, heating and fireplace safety. Information for media, kids and schools. Statistics and government publications.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – Fire Safety Publications
Fact sheets and safety alerts on products ranging from gas grills to extension cords.