Shepherd's One-Stop Shop for Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
The MS Clinic and MS Rehabilitation and Wellness Program now share a newly renovated space on the hospital’s first floor.
Accessible, bright, inviting. Just a few words patients and staff use to describe the newly renovated and centralized Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute at Shepherd Center.
The changes were part of the larger renovation of the hospital's first floor. For the MS Institute, the first phase concluded in December 2025 with the opening of 26 new MS clinic rooms. Then, this year, at the end of July, the Eula C. and Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation and Wellness Program moved from the plaza level of the Woodruff Family Residence Center to the first floor of the main hospital, right behind centralized check-in. And finally, in August, 16 more clinic rooms opened on the opposite side of the hallway from the initial 26.
If that sounds like a lot of changes in a short period of time, it is. The bottom line is that the entire MS Clinic is now housed in one centralized space.
Rich LaFramboise has been a patient at the clinic for just three months. He appreciates that all the services are close together, demanding less time and energy to access.
“It makes it so convenient and less stressful,” he says.
And for staff, creating a smoother experience for patients is a huge payoff. Case manager Whitney Seegars, MBA, CCM, notes that the patient experience includes getting to and from the clinic.
“The majority of our population rides Marta mobility, or they take Uber or Lyft. So, it's convenient that we're right at the front door,” she explains. “We're kind of centralized to everything else. Our patients also spend a lot of time in radiology, a lot of time in urology. And then of course, they spend a lot of time in our clinic with our physicians. So, it's great that we're all right here together now.”
Seegars also appreciates being close to all her teammates.
“I'm right here with the providers. If something needs to be signed right away, needs to be faxed over right away, I'm right here with them now, she says. “I've been able to collaborate a little bit more with my colleagues. I see more case managers on a day-to-day basis.”
That collaboration is something Rebecca Duguid, PT, DPT, program manager for the MS Institute, is especially excited about.
“For me, a huge part of this is that the team is all together. The rehab team, the wellness team, all the nurses, the medical providers, the managers, the case managers, we're all together and can just have a more collaborative, organic relationship.”
With the new, private exam rooms, patients coming for infusions can get comfortable, staying in one room for their pre-infusion appointments and infusions.
“That has made a tremendous difference in patient care,” says clinic nurse Rosa Borja Martinez, ADN, RN. “They're like, ‘Yay, I just get to stay in one spot for the few hours that I'm here.’ … I feel like it gives them a better experience that way.”
MS Rehab and Wellness physical therapist Ally Brainard, PT, DPT, says strong communication throughout the process was key to a smooth transition and brought the team closer.
“Pretty much every other week, we'd have a staff meeting talking about what to expect. And so we were all on the same page. I also feel like it was a bonding experience for all of us as coworkers. Doing it together was really fun.”
And she sees many benefits to being in the new space for both patients and staff.
“For [MS Rehabilitation and Wellness] patients, just being on the first floor has … really streamlined the process for them of getting here, checking in, it's the same as they do for their doctor's appointments,” she says. “Being in the main building in the hospital … we feel more part of Shepherd Center as a whole, which is really nice. And then also having the nurses and the doctors and all the APPs (advanced practice providers) nearby has been awesome. I feel like we've all gotten to know each other more. We can reach out to each other for questions … so it can be even more collaborative than it already was. And then we have a nice and shiny space … [with] all the best equipment, which makes serving our patients really great.”
Rich, who recently completed the MS Institute’s Integrated Therapy Program, can vouch for the results.
“The rehab/therapy area is so clean, bright, and welcoming. It’s such a pleasure to go there for therapy. The entire team is very professional and friendly. They make you feel like each appointment is a visit with an old friend.”
Written by Ruth Underwood
With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.