Texas Spine and Joint Hospital to Open in Tyler, Texas

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Texas Spine and Joint Hospital to Open in Tyler, Texas


DALLAS, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of twenty-three highly respected orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and physicians specializing in pain management have come together in an unprecedented endeavor to build a new specialty hospital in Tyler, Texas. The Texas Spine and Joint Hospital will be located at 1814 Roseland Boulevard. It is expected to be open by Fall 2002.

An Announcement Celebration will be held Friday, March 8, 2002 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the hospital site for the founding doctors, their families, friends and the media. A buffet barbeque dinner will be offered, as well as family activities. The Honorable Mayor Kevin P. Eltife of Tyler will make a special opening address. A short film interviewing the founding doctors will be previewed at the event, and VHS copies will be available for the media.

The hospital has been designed by McFarland Architects of Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to chief architect and hospital specialist, Connie McFarland, FACHA, FAIA, CSI, "Our directive from the hospital's founders was simple and clear: 'build it around the needs of our patients.'

"We were able to design each of the hospital's bedrooms to have a window with a view. And with nearly 100,000 square feet devoted to a facility with just 20 beds, we were able to create an environment that is welcoming and comfortable. The technology that will be put to work here is the most advanced of its kind anywhere, but we wanted the environment to be friendly and inviting.

"With distinctive, sail-like tension structures at its entrances, the hospital is sure to become a signature building in Tyler," added McFarland.

As a medical complaint, back pain is second only to the common cold in this country. "We're committed to making this hospital a catalyst for advances in the care and treatment of back and joint conditions and diseases. Disc problems may be a common cause of lower back pain and can contribute to most spinal afflictions. Until very recently, you lived with it, you had it removed or you had it fused," states neurosurgeon Guy O. Danielson, III, MD.

Dr. Danielson goes on to say, "We are currently involved in exciting clinical trials using artificial discs to replace damaged human ones. The test results to date appear promising. We anticipate that the ability to do non-fusion disc replacement surgery will have an affect on the treatment of the back, in the same way that hip and knee replacements have revolutionized joint surgeries. A specialty hospital brings to each patient access to focused care and treatment in a specifically designed environment. And I am convinced that this hospital will be the finest of its kind."

Neurosurgeon Thomas Grahm, MD adds, "Tyler, Texas has an internationally respected medical community. People come here from around the world to seek treatment and care. We currently have two outstanding hospitals, with doctors in every specialty you can name. Having a hospital that's been designed and built specifically for the kinds of patients we see will allow us to stay on the leading edge of technology in the treatment of our patients."

"Texas Spine and Joint Hospital was designed to give us access to all the tools we need to do our jobs," states Jan H. Garrett, MD and Orthopedic surgeon. All of us share a common goal -- to build a facility that allows us to provide absolutely state-of-the-art care for our patients in a wonderful, nurturing setting. Our staff, from the admitting clerk to the discharge nurse, will be dedicated to provide our patients intense, highly personalized care through every phase of their surgical experience. Our goal is to enhance the most positive aspects of specialty care in a way that will complement the other healthcare facilities here in Tyler.

"The most exciting part of this endeavor is the realization that we have successfully combined the expertise, the thought processes and the resources of so many different physicians and consultants." He concludes, "Everyone involved has put a huge amount of work into the project, and we are all so excited about seeing it come to fruition, to have a place where we can provide enhanced orthopedic and neurological care for our patients in an environment that the patients will just love. It's so exciting to me."