The Unità Spinale di Niguarda, founded in 2002, is a national center that provides multiple services to those with spinal cord injuries or spina bfida including rehabilitation and care efforts along with social, familial, and professional support. In Italy, ninety-thousand people live with spinal cord ailments, eighty percent of which are between the ages of ten and forty. Every year, 2,000 new cases occur, providing those afflicted with new challenges physically, mentally, and socially.

In order to cater to the needs of this group, AUS Niguarda Onlus, a nonprofit focused on spinal injuries, partnered with the Unità Spinale di Niguarda, to realize a number of helpful initiatives and services for spinal cord patients.

Built in 2013, the Centro Spazio Vita represents one of the few meeting places within a hospital environment that is open to both patients of the center as well as members of the Milanese community. Through collaborative efforts with Canali Onlus, the center is able to both maintain and sustain the use of a beautiful, heated swimming pool, which is used for rehabilitation efforts by patients recovering from trauma and individuals with external motor disabilities.