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Shepherd Center
Introduction

Shepherd Center is a private, not-for profit, catastrophic care hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1975, the hospital is devoted to the medical care and rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other neuromuscular problems.

History

An Atlanta family founded Shepherd Center in 1975. Harold and Alana Shepherd had to travel 1,400 miles (2,300 km) to find the appropriate care for their son James when he was injured in a body surfing accident in Brazil in 1973. Afterward, they brought together Atlanta’s medical and donor communities to found Shepherd Center. Today, James serves as chairman of the board of the Center. Alana Shepherd continues her work raising funds and welcoming new patients, and Harold Shepherd serves on the Board of Directors.
Mission

Shepherd Center's mission is to help people who have experienced a catastrophic injury or disease, which has resulted in a temporary or permanent disability, rebuild their lives with hope, dignity and independence, advocating for their full inclusion in all aspects of community life.

Programs

Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program

Shepherd Center treats people who have recently sustained a spinal cord injury. From the time of acute admission through outpatient follow-up, the Center’s Spinal Cord Injury Program provides a full continuum of care to those who have sustained any level of spinal cord injury – paraplegia, quadriplegia (including those who are ventilator dependent) or comorbid (spinal cord and brain injury).

Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program

Shepherd Center treats people who have experienced the most complex brain injuries. The Center’s early-recovery unit allows the medical staff to begin treating patients immediately after their injury. Shepherd also has a coma-stimulation program and a program for ventilator-dependent patients.

Treatment for Pain and Neuromuscular Disorders

Shepherd Center treats people with acute pain resulting from back surgery, fractures, whiplash or cancer. Other paralyzing neurological diseases can affect the body like a spinal cord injury, so the Center’s physicians also treat patients with transverse myelitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, spinal tumors, spina bifida, post-polio syndrome, scoliosis and spinal cord cysts.

The Multiple Sclerosis Institute at Shepherd

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Institute at Shepherd is a comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation center for people with multiple sclerosis. The Institute focuses on an accurate diagnosis of the disease, aggressive treatment of symptoms and exacerbations, education, rehabilitation, counseling and clinical research. Shepherd is an official treatment facility designated by the National MS Society-Georgia Chapter and a research partner with Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Shepherd Pain Institute

The Shepherd Pain Institute offers pain management for individuals experiencing chronic pain problems. The Institute takes a multidisciplinary approach to the practice of medicine and specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis and application of interventional treatment for the management of pain and related disorders.

Specialty services

Assistive technology

Shepherd Center's assistive technology specialists help people with limited mobility or neurological deficits achieve a greater degree of independence by using new equipment and technology. Specialists provide evaluations and prescriptions for the simplest, most economical solutions that improve quality of life. Shepherd’s assistive technology specialists help people customize an appropriate package of technological solutions that maximize independence in accomplishing day-to-day tasks.

Therapeutic recreation

Patients at Shepherd Center are introduced to a variety of leisure and recreational activities as part of their therapy program. This type of therapy, called therapeutic recreation, helps improve physical, cognitive and social functioning so an individual can return to a lifestyle that is as independent, active and healthy as possible. Therapeutic recreation specialists at Shepherd create a customized recreation therapy plan, based on a patient’s diagnosis and leisure interests. They then integrate those goals into the patient’s daily therapy schedule.

Marcus Community Bridge Program

Shepherd Center’s Marcus Community Bridge Program offers post-discharge client education, guidance and referral information after a catastrophic injury or illness. By collaborating with the individual and/or their family to devise a plan that will guide and educate them about resources and options available, they become better able to address psychosocial, career and medical issues that may arise during the first year after their injury or illness.

Other Programs

Shepherd Center also offers:

Neuropsychological and psychological services
Patient and family training
Career planning and job search assistance
One-to-one counseling by a person with a similar disability
Chaplaincy
In-Center schooling

Research

The Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute at Shepherd Center conducts neurological and neuromuscular research. Clinical studies are conducted in collaboration with leading experts at other hospitals, research centers, medical schools and universities around the world. Shepherd Center’s research activities primarily focus on spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders.
The center works to develop, refine and evaluate new treatments, drugs, surgical techniques, diagnostic tools and various therapy interventions. Shepherd Center’s research also works to improve the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of clinical services, as well as document the long-term effectiveness and benefits of rehabilitation to improve patient outcomes.
In addition, Shepherd Center supports basic and applied research to develop devices that help people with disabilities improve their ability to function and control their environment.

Model System of Care
Since 1982, Shepherd Center has been designated as a Model System of Care for spinal cord injury by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The hospital is one of only 14 Model Systems in the country.
Since 1990, Shepherd Center’s Model System grant has funded a line of research on quality of life, adjustment to injury, secondary complications and community reintegration issues. Studies have focused on improving patient outcomes, particularly for those patients who have been identified as being at-risk because of health, behavior or family issues.
Accreditation and ranking

Shepherd Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
Also, since 2000, Shepherd Center has been ranked by 'U.S.News & World Report as one of the nation’s best rehabilitation hospitals. Rankings for rehabilitation hospitals are based on reputation among board-certified specialists. To make the list, hospitals must be recommended by at least 3 percent of the physicians polled.

Quick Facts

• Location: Shepherd Center’s main campus is located at 2020 Peachtree Road in Atlanta's Buckhead district, about four miles (6 km) north of downtown.
• Beds: Shepherd Center is a 120-bed rehabilitation facility, which includes a 10-bed intensive care unit and a 30-bed acquired brain injury unit.
• Patient Data: More than 750 patients are admitted each year. Nearly 30,000 outpatient clinic visits are conducted each year. The average length of an inpatient stay is four to six weeks.
• Doctors: A core group of 10 physicians treat patients with brain injury, spinal cord injury, a dual diagnosis of brain and spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and other neurological illnesses or injuries. More than 180 physicians are consulting physicians who also treat patients with these same conditions.
• Facilities: In addition to the hospital’s 120 beds, its facilities include therapy gyms, treatment rooms, a pool and fitness center, auditorium, pharmacy, gift shop, family lounge, library and cafeteria. Also, opening on the main campus in mid-2008, is an 87,000-square-foot (8,100 m2) family housing facility with 84 wheelchair-accessible suites, a large family activities room, community lounge and space for training classes. The facility will provide 30 days of complementary housing for families of patients so they can be near their loved ones during rehabilitation. Off-campus buildings in metro Atlanta include community-based care facilities for people with brain injury.

Web site

www.shepherdscenterkck.org