AUGUSTA MS CENTER RECEIVES AFFILIATION

January 16, 2002

The Augusta Multiple Sclerosis Center, a joint venture of MCG HealthCare and Walton Rehabilitation Hospital, recently received official affiliation with the Georgia Chapter (Atlanta) and the South Carolina Regional Office of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter (Columbia) of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

An affiliation ceremony was held in the 3 West Auditorium before a capacity crowd representing the management and staff of the Augusta MS center, Department of Neurology, MCG rehabilitation services and Walton Rehabilitation center. Presenters included: Mary Faley-Creighton, President of the Georgia Chapter of the National MS Society; Sally Layton, Director of Programs for the Georgia Chapter of the National MS Society; Gail Bensten, Assistant Director of Chapter Programs for the South Carolina Regional Office of the Mid-Atlanta Chapter of the MS Society; Becky DeLecouna, of the local MS Support Group; Dennis Skelly, President and CEO of Walton Rehabilitation; and Don Snell, President and CEO of MCGHI. The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Mary Hughes and Dr. Robert Harmon, Co-Directors of the Augusta MS Center, from MCG and Walton, respectively, and Dr. David C. Hess, Chief of Neurology.

The Augusta MS Center offers complete, comprehensive care from medical care and rehabilitation to continuing care and housing options for people of all ages in all stages of life with MS. Medical care includes diagnosis, second opinions, hospital and outpatient care, drug therapy, pain management, referrals to medical specialties including neuro-ophthalmology, urology and OB/GYN, neuropsychology services, nutrition counseling, care coordination, spasticity management and patient education. Rehabilitation services include inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, care coordination, education and wheelchair seating clinics. Support services include support groups, assistive technology and devices, housing options, assisted living options and education.

"The joint venture between these two systems is unique in that two distinct institutions have partnered to develop a comprehensive MS clinical program. The Augusta MS Center provides an exceptional level of support to this community’s MS patients and their families by combining research and clinical leadership under one roof," said Ms. Faley-Creighton.

Affiliation with the National MS Society comes on the heels of numerous other recent recognitions. The Department of Neurology, of which the Augusta MS Center is a part, is in the top 15 in National Institutes of Health funding. Recently, the Movement Disorders Clinic of the Department of Neurology and the MCG Neuroscience Center was designated a Center of Excellence by the National Parkinson Foundation. The MCG Stroke Program of the MCG Neuroscience Center was also named by the University HealthSystem Consortium among the top four stroke programs in the country in terms of quality of care.

Through its 50-state network of chapters, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society funds research, furthers education, advocates for people with disabilities and provides a variety of empowering programs for the third of a million Americans who have MS and their families.

The local MS Support Group, which has been in existence for more than 25 years, meets at First Baptist Church on the third Thursday of each month from September through May.

MCG HealthCare is the health system of the Medical College of Georgia and is comprised of MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty of the School of Medicine and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Hospitals and Clinics, Children's Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by offering the highest level of primary and specialty health care.

For more information, contact:
Steven Padgett
Media Relations Manager
MCG Health, Inc.
(706) 721-9566