• The Abertis Foundation supports the Guttmann Institute in celebrating its 50th anniversary by helping the Institute develop major scientific and social welfare projects, especially those focused on road safety for the young.
• Present at the signing the cooperation agreement were the Chairman of Abertis and of the Abertis Foun-dation, Salvador Alemany; the President of the Guttmann Institute Foundation, Francesc Homs; the Di-rector of Institutional Relations of Abertis and Director of the Abertis Foundation, Sergi Loughney; and the Director of the Guttmann Institute, Dr. Josep María Ramírez.
• The Abertis Foundation has been an “Institutional friend of the Guttmann Institute” from day one. Partici-pating companies and organisations help provide continuity and improve the medical rehabilitation, scienti-fic, educational, and social activities of the Guttmann Institute.
   

The Abertis Foundation supports the Guttmann Institute in celebrating its 50th anniversary by helping the Institute develop its major healthcare, scientific and social welfare projects, especially those focused on road safety for the young. Recently, the two organizations have promoted responsible driving in the most popular nightlife areas in different Catalan towns as part of the “You’ve got one life left” campaign led by the Abertis Foundation.

Present at the signing the cooperation agreement were the Chairman of Abertis and of the Abertis Foundation, Salvador Alemany; the President of the Guttmann Institute Foundation, Francesc Homs; the Director of Institutional Relations of Abertis and Director of the Abertis Foundation, Sergi Loughney; and the Director of the Guttmann Institute, Dr. Josep María Ramírez.

The Guttmann Institute, opened in Barcelona on November 27, 1965, has become one of the international reference centres for its specialization, neuro-rehabilitation. Founded by Guillermo González Gilbey, a tetraplegic patient himself, and inaugurated by Sir Ludwig Guttmann, MD, a German neurosurgeon who changed the prognosis of people with spinal cord injury and a promoter of the Paralympic Games, it was the first hospital in Spain dedicated to treat spinal cord injury. Now, fifty years later, it will carry out numerous institutional, scientific and social activities to commemorate it.

The Abertis Foundation has been an “Institutional Friend of the Institut Guttmann” from day one, and this year, it will give special support to the following commemorative activities:
 

• Organizing two Scientific Events: The B-Debate on Brain Health, organized in collaboration with Biocat and La Caixa in May; and the 27th. Guttmann Institute Technical Seminars which will make it possible to hold four conferences: the 32nd. National Spanish Society of Paraplegia Seminars (SEP in Spanish), the 21st. Symposium of the Spanish Association of Spinal Cord Nursing (ASELME in Spanish), the 1st. Technology and Rehabilitation Conference and a series of conferences aimed at people with disabilities organizations, promoted by the Institut Guttmann Social and Participation Council, where Social Innovation and Disability will be discussed: Debates on disability within the framework of a changing society.
•  Translation, subtitling and broadcasting by the Catalan and Spanish television channels of English telefilm “The Best of Men,” a BBC production that narrates the life of Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, a German neurosurgeon who changed the prognosis for people with spinal cord injury and a promoter of the Paralympic Games.
• The production of a Commemorative Lithograph, especially and altruistically created by the artist Enric Ansesa.

The Abertis Foundation

The Abertis Foundation acts in three main areas (society, culture and the environment) with the goal to minimize the impact on the territory of the Abertis Group’s economic activity in the countries where it operates. The commitment with society translates into an extensive Road Safety Programme aimed mainly at the most vulnerable drivers or pedestrians; in the area of culture, the Abertis Foundation cooperates with the leading cultural institutions in the world; and in the environmental area, its headquarters, the Castellet castle, is the UNESCO centre for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves.

“Friends of the Guttmann Institute” initiative

An initiative made up of companies, organizations and people who, through their contributions and support, in addition to offering their trust and appreciation, help us achieve our funda-mental objectives to improve the autonomy and quality of life of people with disabilities.  The “Friends of the Guttmann Institute” are an example of the sensitivity, responsibility and commitment of its members and highlights the ability of society to act together in search of a better world. The financial resources provided by the Friends are intended to provide conti-nuity and improve medical rehabilitation, scientific, educational and social activities of the Gu-ttmann Institute.

Photos (Flickr)