New York, NY—October 15, 2001
Both traditional and alternative medicine therapies will be included in the new Integrative Care Center (ICC) opened today by Hospital for Special Surgery. The ICC, conveniently located in midtown Manhattan, was designed to provide patients who have arthritis, osteoporosis, chronic pain and other musculoskeletal conditions with effective, safe, evidence-based alternative medicine in conjunction with traditional therapies. Research at the ICC will be aimed at testing the effectiveness of these approaches to patient care. In addition to offering a variety of therapies and services at the ICC, the Center will also focus on research aimed at testing the effectiveness of alternative and traditional medical treatments to patient care.
“At HSS, our goal is to provide our patients with the best, most effective treatments for their conditions. We have become increasingly aware of the significant use and effectiveness of alternative therapies. As a leading research and treatment hospital for orthopedics and rheumatology, it is our responsibility to define safe, effective alternative therapies and provide them to patients in a controlled setting,” said John R. Reynolds, president and CEO of Hospital for Special Surgery.
HSS is ranked as the #1 hospital in the Northeast for orthopedics and rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report. HSS’s Integrative Care Center will provide a wide array of orthopedic and rheumatologic services as well as a full range of physical therapy programs for individuals and groups. The alternative care services will include tai-chi, yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture and mind body therapy. The staff of the ICC includes internists, rheumatologists, orthopedists, physiatrists, licensed physical therapists, registered dieticians and medical acupuncturists. The alternative care providers currently include massage therapists, a fully certified Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncturist, a yoga expert, and a mind body therapist.
Dr. Ronald MacKenzie, Medical Director of the Integrative Care Center, added, “The goal of the Center is to offer our patients the best medicine of today and tomorrow – whether that would include traditional remedies or new therapies which have recently generated public interest. This comprehensive approach is ideally suited to individuals interested in preventive health services as well as individuals with complex medical conditions such as back pain and arthritis.”
Research at the ICC will be conducted to look at the efficacy of alternative therapies in conjunction with, or independent of, traditional ones. Current research includes a study on acupuncture in the relief of back pain in older patients, which will be completed in 2002. JeMe Cioppa-Mosca, Administrative Director of the ICC, noted, “The Center's emphasis on research and outcome studies will provide evidence which will guide the implementation of effective alternative treatments integrated with traditional medical care.”
The ICC is located in a convenient midtown location at 635 Madison Avenue (between East 59 and East 60 Streets) This feng shui-designed Center offers patients a variety of traditional medical services and alternative therapies individually and in classes. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am-7:00 pm. For additional information or appointments, call 212.224.7900 or fax 212.755.5634. The founding of the Integrative Care Center was made possible through the generosity of the Kohlberg Foundation.
“The decision to fund the Integrative Care Center was based on the HSS's outstanding reputation as a leader in orthopedics and rheumatology. We are very impressed by the collaborative culture that exists among its widely respected researchers, scientists and physicians,” stated Jerome Kohlberg of the Kohlberg Foundation.
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