HOSPITAL ESTABLISHES NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE

A major neurological goal has been reached at Saint Francis Medical Center.

Medical center officials announced last week the establishment of the Saint Francis Neurosciences Institute, designed to help physicians and patients identify and use the neuro services available at the medical center.

"This will be a joint venture that provides coordination of all neurological, neurosurgical and related services at the medical center," said Marcia Southard-Ritter, vice president of patient care at the hospital. "All of these services have been available here but this will enhance the entire program."

Southard-Ritter explained that the new institute consists of neurology, neurosurgery, neurodiagnostics, neurophysiology, neurorehabilitation, neuro critical care services and neurosurgical and neurological patient care zones.

Southard-Ritter, Dr. Robert E. Gardner, the neurologist who serves as chairman of the medical staff's neurology section and neurosurgeon Dr. Yong Kie Kim, who chairs the medical staff's neurosurgery section, discussed the new institute Thursday morning.

"We're proud of the new institute," said Gardner, who joined St. Francis 10 years ago. "This crystallizes the services we offer into a distinct entity.

"We've been offering these services for a number of years now," said Gardner. "It wasn't that way when I started here. Ten years ago, most patients, even those who did not require surgery, had to be transferred to St. Louis or Memphis."

It wasn't until 1985 that St. Francis offered neurosurgery, when Dr. Kim joined the staff, noted Gardner. "Then, two years later, in 1987, we added a neurorehabilitation program.

"This was another major goal," added Gardner. "Everything started mushrooming then. We have obtained a new MRI scanner, which provides the brain and spinal cord imaging we need and we now have a neurology unit which fills all governmental criteria."

St. Francis has a medical staff consisting of six neurologists and two neurosurgeons, extensive diagnostic and therapeutic technologists and a well-trained and competent nursing and support staff, Gardner said.

"We're proud of the advances and accomplishments we have achieved," said Gardner. "We've been discussing this new department since July, and have now pulled it all together.

"Saint Francis Medical Center is well-known as a regional referral center for neurological care," he said. "We can now serve patients and physicians with virtually all major neurodiagnostic modalities including EEG, evoked potential studies and continuous monitoring for neurological patients with very brief symptoms."

In addition to Gardner, other neurologists on the staff include A.B. Chaudhari, David Y.S. Lee, Steven D. Mellies, Mohammad Shakil, and Randall L. Stahly.

"We're very excited about the creation of the new department," said Kim. "The neurological field is a big area. A significant number of patients here are neurological patients.

"We expect the new institute will result in even greater cooperation between departments, more efficient operation, and the continued acquisition of rapidly development knowledge and technologies."

Kim noted that St. Francis' mortality and morbidity rates among highly unstable patient populations such as head trauma and intracranial vascular surgeries have been "astonishingly low and far below the national average."

"The growing demand for neurosurgical services has resulted in the addition of a second neurosurgeon here," said Kim. "Dr. David G. Yingling was added to the staff earlier this year."

Patients seeking more information concerning the Neurosciences Institute may contact their physician, or call the institute, 1-800-455-9999.