“Miss Mary Poopins is a survivor. We've had her many years,” Rachael says. “This chicken has been through it. She runs everyone.”

You might say that Rachael has also “been through it.”

In 2021, she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, chondroblastic osteosarcoma. Her treatment included chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove a tumor and half of her pelvis, replacing the bone with a 3D-printed titanium pelvis.

After surgery, she participated in inpatient rehab close to home.

“I was there for two weeks and just basically learning how to live in a wheelchair because I was non-weight bearing for about a year,” she says.

She continued with outpatient physical therapy and moved from using a wheelchair to using a walker. Now, she sometimes walks with a walker, sometimes with a cane. Even though her mobility has improved significantly, she continues to experience complex pain.

“A lot of neuropathy down my left leg, specifically. And I was doing pain management in Chattanooga. They were doing as best they could for me, but it was just they never could really get it completely under control.”

Researching New Options

A friend of Rachael’s husband had sustained back injuries during her military career and told them about Shepherd Center.

“We started doing some research,” Rachael says. “She had told us just what an incredible game changer it was for her.”

After learning more about the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center, Rachael became a patient there in early 2025. She says Shepherd Center felt different.

“I really felt like I was listened to,” she explains. “It's never felt like I'm being looked at as someone seeking pain meds or like I'm being judged for why I'm there. I feel like there's such a warmth and a respect for what people are experiencing.”

The expertise of Shepherd’s staff, coupled with their attention to Rachael’s needs and goals, led to improvements in her pain management.

“Immediately, the doctor saw where we could make some changes to my pain medication … I've been able to come off of a lot of the opioid oral medications that I've been on … We've been able to make a lot of changes, and that's given me a better quality of life,” she says.

Rachael’s care team also suggested she try a spinal cord stimulator, a surgically implanted device that she says has been very helpful in managing her nerve pain and neuropathy.

And, they recommended she visit Shepherd’s pain therapist to address some of the emotional toll of the cancer diagnosis and the pain.

“I didn't even know [pain therapists] existed,” Rachael says. “So, I started seeing her right away. And it was just such an incredible opportunity to work through a lot of these things that I've not unpacked in my life. I never really had the time to grieve that I got sick … that pain, you know, sits within your body. And I didn't recognize all the connections from pain in my body interconnected with my brain. So she really helped me to release a lot of that and taught me many different techniques that I can [use to] help regulate my body.”

Now, Rachael comes to the Pain Institute once a month for treatment. She and Chris turn the trips to Atlanta for her appointments into “day dates,” tacking on lunch or dinner at different restaurants they want to try. She says they feel the hope in the halls at Shepherd Center, and she looks forward to her visits.

“I feel like I'm a friend there amongst people. I know the individuals, I see their faces there, everyone is welcoming and saying ‘Hello,’ and ‘How can I help?’”

Rachael encourages others who are experiencing chronic pain to advocate for themselves, do their research, and seek out care if they feel they have run out of options. She also says having Chris as a care partner, someone who can advocate for her when she can’t advocate for herself, has been a big part of her journey.

“And then lastly, but most importantly,” she says, “has been my faith, … my faith in the Lord has been something that has allowed me to continue to have hope and encouragement, and that pain can be pain, but life can be beautiful in the midst of it all. And that, you know, you have bad days and good days, but you have to look for the good every day as well.”

And although she’s still learning to live with some limitations, she finds the good in being able to manage her pain enough to work full-time, be a mom and a wife, travel, and do other things she enjoys, including enjoying life on their plot of land.

“That's the dream, live on the land, have a little farm, start doing things like making sourdough bread, and have a little farm stand. Who knows?”

Written by Ruth Underwood

Both Elizabeth and Paul learned some of these practices through their participation in a clinical trials pilot study at Shepherd Center. The study, funded by the Samsky Spine and Pain Research Fund, aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness meditation training program and to determine whether it could lead to improved ability to cope with pain and increased health-related quality of life outcomes. Having the tools to help manage frustrating calls and heavy traffic was a bonus.

Since breaking three vertebrae and sustaining other injuries in a fall about eight years ago, Elizabeth has experienced chronic pain. Her doctor’s warning to be careful, coupled with a fear of falling again, led her to stop many of her activities, which, in turn, led to isolation and depression at the loss of her socially and physically active life. She began coming to The Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute about a year ago, participating in physical therapy and adaptive yoga with great results. When she heard about the Mindfulness-Meditation Study, she knew she’d like to give it a try. 

“Because I want to get better. It's mindfulness and yoga, and I thought, ‘There's something here,’” she recalls. “I knew how much the yoga had helped, so I thought, ‘Well, more ways to look at something, more ways to move.’ It's just been incredible.”

Paul has been a patient at the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute for about 20 years and has participated in research at Shepherd in the past. He was already curious about meditation, so when Erica Sutton, MA, CRC, clinical research coordinator at the Virginia Crawford Research Institute at Shepherd Center and principal investigator for the 12-week study, asked if he’d like to participate, he was in. 

“I have been on the fringes of trying to understand meditation and what it does,” says Paul. “Then Erica, out of the blue, called. ‘Hey, Paul, I was thinking about you. You said you always want to participate in things, and I think I have the right choice for you here — it's called mindful meditation.’”

Sutton, who practices meditation herself and holds two clinical meditation certifications, says she wanted to introduce people to its benefits. 

“I built a protocol based around meditation, and for people who are new to meditation and mindfulness, I wanted to show some of the different ways that people can engage in these mindful practices.”

Connecting and Reflecting

Participants in the program attended weekly classes at Shepherd Center and a weekly virtual support group session for eight weeks, followed by four weeks of practicing on their own, during which they could continue to attend virtual sessions. 

During each class, Sutton and her colleague, Alexandra Juarez, EP, RYT 200 HR, introduced participants to a variety of meditation and mindfulness practices, including visual meditation, sound baths, breathing techniques, guided body scans, and mindful eating.

Sutton and Juarez intentionally included time in each session for participants to catch up, share reflections on the tools they’d learned about, and connect with one another — a practice Elizabeth found especially meaningful. 

“Being able to talk to people … sharing how we handle it mentally, emotionally, and physically, even though all our stuff is different, has been a really important part of the mindfulness group,” she says.  

“Part of the benefit of having the study in person is that they get to have a social connection as well, and they really do enjoy that,” says Sutton. “Being able to see people with different diagnoses and to come together collectively with the same goal in mind has been a beautiful process.”

Between classes and during the four weeks of independent practice, participants kept journals documenting the mindful meditation they tried throughout the week and their reflections on the practice. 

“At the end of the study, we will use the diaries to collect those analyses to see if there were any improvements in areas of their overall well-being,” Sutton explains. “We're looking at any changes, primarily in the relationship to pain, so that's something that's important about this study. 

Although we targeted people with chronic neuropathic pain, it was not because we were looking to cure anything, but to build a better relationship with how they navigate and manage life with chronic pain. So, we're looking at their relationship with pain and overall quality of life. Was there any improvement with that? And then of course the safety and efficacy of the study.”

And Sutton hopes that this pilot study of 10 participants will lead to something bigger.

“It's a feasibility study. We're taking this hypothesis, and we're testing it in a small group with the hope that we can conduct more research on a larger scale, and thus translate that into clinical practice.” 

A Variety of Tools

Paul says he has noticed a change in his stress levels and energy.

“I'm like, ‘Am I really noticing that much of a difference that fast?’” he reflects. “My pain levels have gone down from like a six to a two. … I'm sleeping seven hours very easily. I'm in a deeper sleep. … I’m waking up with a lot of energy.”

And he’s even been able to use some of the relaxation techniques he’s learned instead of taking pain medication. 

“Through all the different techniques I've learned, I don't need it. When I feel that pain going across my shoulders or down my spine or my lower back or even on my leg, I'll just do a nervous system reset, and it's been working,” he says.

Elizabeth says learning so many different forms of meditation has been very helpful. 

“I might have known a bit of here and there, but to be very thoughtful, if I'm in pain, let me try this. And finding out which things work for me,” she explains. “Each class was a focus on a different way of meditating. I've known my whole life, ‘Oh, meditation is good,’ and I’d try it, and my mind gets too busy somewhere, and I just haven't been able to meditate. So, learning which ways to meditate has been so important — which ones work for me.”

“It's been very rewarding to hear the feedback and watch what tools they use,” Sutton says. “What we teach is that there's no right or wrong. It's a personal practice, and what's important is that they are making the space to carve out that time for themselves and to use whatever feels best for them in the moment.”

Paul also appreciates having a variety of tools to try. 

“I've used every single technique, and I found it very beneficial. It's a
healing of the soul, in my opinion,” Paul says. “I feel like when you're doing these things, you find yourself, you really get in touch with yourself, with your body, and it's been refreshing.”

Elizabeth says her daughter has noticed how she’s becoming more of her old self again, getting out, reconnecting with friends and family, and engaging in life.

“It's just progress every day,” Elizabeth says. “It has been life changing.” 

If you’d like to find out more about research at Shepherd Center, visit https://shepherd.org/research/redefining-rehab/find-studies/

Written by Ruth Underwood
 

“I have a very strong faith. So really, my life is around church, my children, my husband Tim, and our community and all that entails — and being as involved in each of the facets as much as possible. And that's kind of where I am right now. That's what gives me joy — and being at Shepherd. I'm often there three times a week.”

These days, Katie comes to Shepherd Center most often for outpatient physical therapy, but over the past year and a half, she’s also been a patient in the Wound Clinic, Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute, and Wheelchair Seating & Mobility Clinic.

In January 2024, Katie was scheduled to have a hysterectomy. But at the very start of the surgery, her vena cava, one of the largest veins in the body, got nicked, leading to significant blood loss. Katie was in a minimally conscious state for 11 days, sustained damage to multiple organs, and developed sepsis from blood clots, resulting in the need to amputate one of her legs.

“Waking up without a leg, you're very vulnerable. I had to deal with the fact that I couldn't go to the bathroom myself and deal with all of the things that are involved with this level of shock. But we started to think about what the next few months would look like, and I had heard of Shepherd — I knew what kind of place Shepherd was. And my husband and I, along with our family and friends, really wanted to go to Shepherd.… It is a gift from God that someone answered the phone and scheduled my appointment in the Wound Clinic.”

Beginning to Heal

At the Wound Clinic, Katie says the staff made her feel at home. Her case manager, Kathie Kurtz, whom Katie calls her guardian angel, noticed that the wheelchair Katie was using wasn’t a good fit, so she suggested Katie visit Shepherd’s Wheelchair Seating & Mobility Clinic, too.

As Katie healed, she got a prescription for physical therapy, but when pain made therapy difficult, Kurtz suggested Katie visit Shepherd’s Spine and Pain Institute. There, she saw Michael Smith, D.O., whom she credits with helping her discontinue the strong narcotics she was taking for pain. He unpacked each facet of what was causing her pain and tackled them individually, but with a holistic view. In addition to nerve, bladder, and wound pain from the original trauma, Dr. Smith addressed the shoulder pain that came from pushing her wheelchair and back pain from scoliosis she’d developed from sitting in her wheelchair for an extended period. He referred her to Alaina Hammond, Psy.D., ABPP-RP, a clinical psychologist at the Pain Institute, to talk through the trauma and pain she had experienced.

“He looked at it from ‘I'm seeing you, but let me find other areas within our Shepherd care team that we can add to your specific case and help you.’”

Katie felt like Dr. Smith did everything he could to put her at ease.

“He even offered to play Taylor Swift during a procedure one time because I'm obsessed with Taylor Swift. Knowing him, his personality is so stoic and very business-like, but … there's just an immediate trust and a caring, empathetic relationship on both sides.”

“My husband will tell everybody, ‘Dr. Smith is putting her together piece by piece. He's putting her back together. And this is my wife again. He's helped her get back behind the wheel and drive. He's helped her realize that she can get up in the morning, take the kids to school, and keep her leg on because she's not in severe pain from her femur rubbing into the prosthetic.’ … He's made life easier. And I wouldn't even just say easier. He's made my life better. And that's a big deal.”

Getting Back to Life

Dr. Smith and Kathie Kurtz referred Katie to Allan Peljovich, M.D., MPH, a Shepherd Center consulting orthopedic surgeon, to address phantom pain in her leg and later nerve pain in her fingers. Dr. Peljovich performed an innovative targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) surgery on Katie’s leg. In the surgery, he connected some of the nerves leading to Katie’s amputated leg to other nerves and muscles, reducing the incidence of phantom pain.

“Instead of having it 24/7, I now only have phantom pains maybe once every three days. And that's huge for an amputee.”

The surgery meant delaying when Katie could get her first prosthetic, and the extended time sitting meant she had to work hard in physical therapy to realign her hip, but with her pain managed, she made significant progress and has since returned for a second round of physical therapy — with big goals in mind.

“This second time with PT, I kind of had to make a decision,” Katie explains. “Am I going to be someone that is walking regularly again? … Am I going to be able to go upstairs and put my children to sleep? Am I going to be able to walk to the soccer field where a wheelchair can't go on the grass? … And I had to make that choice where I don't want to go home and just put it [the prosthetic] away. I want to learn to have stamina to cook for my family, and to do the laundry and put it in their drawers, and just simple things like that. And Sandy [Alexander, my PT] is helping me get there. I'm walking really well with no help, and it's been almost exactly one year with this prosthetic. I went from having a walker to the crutches to a cane, and now I don't have anything. And I'm super proud, really proud of this. And it's all because of Shepherd.”

Encouraging Others

And physical therapy isn’t all Katie has been up to this year. While Katie couldn’t return to her job as a data engineer, she and her best friend, Maureen, started a nonprofit based on one of Katie’s other loves – creating art. The nonprofit, Everyday Art, includes art workshops and an online gallery where artists who don’t have a presence in galleries can sell their work. A portion of sales goes to the nonprofit, and with that money, Katie and Maureen assemble art kits for patients at local hospitals and outpatient facilities.

“I get to spend the rest of my life, hopefully, giving people the chance to do art when they feel alone, or maybe they just need some time for themselves, or maybe it’s allowing someone struggling with limb loss to find a different way with their prosthetic to paint something, and it's still going to be beautiful,” Katie says.

She encourages others experiencing chronic pain to “trust the process.”

“It works. You can live with chronic pain and not always be in severe pain, and that's something very important to realize for somebody who is coming to a pain center for the first time,” Katie explains. “You can get that number eight or nine down to a two or a three, and that makes a huge difference. It goes from you being depressed and immobile to being happy the majority of the time and able to function.”

And as for “Leslie,” Katie’s glittery pink prosthetic, Katie sees it as an opportunity to educate people and spread hope.

“That's why I wanted it [the prosthetic] to be loud and proud. And I wanted people to knock on it and ask questions because I can also have the opportunity to talk about hope and faith — believing in miracles. And it may not always look perfect in your life, but they happen.”

Written by Ruth Underwood

At Shepherd, Erik Shaw, D.O., medical director of the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd, took him off morphine and started him on a medical pump, a spinal stimulator, and physical therapy. Shepherd “helped me tremendously,” John says. 

John, who owned a lock and key service, was carrying a clipboard and some parts for a safe in 1991, when he slipped on gravel, fracturing his back in seven places. Surgery left him in constant pain. Post-surgery pain is a common issue for clinic patients, says Marsha Hanson, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CRRN, Shepherd’s director of outpatient services. The Spine and Pain Institute also treats clients whose discomfort results from injuries, arthritis, and various other causes. Treatment can include procedure-based and minimally invasive interventions, psychological care, physical therapy, and yoga. “We’re also developing more of a wellness program,” Hanson says. 

John adds his own personal twist to pain treatment. At Shepherd, he is known for his jokes. “Some of them are a little on the smutty side,” he admits. But, he adds, “Laughter is good medicine.”

Written by Gayle White

This story is an excerpt from “Mission Moments: 50 Years of Rebuilding Lives One Moment at a Time,” a book celebrating Shepherd’s 50th anniversary in 2025. You can explore the full eBook or purchase a hardcover copy here. 

That all changed in November 2022 when Lesley fell down some stairs and fractured her ankle. Her doctor put her foot in a boot and prescribed physical therapy.

But things didn’t improve – they got progressively worse.

“I was in the worst pain I’ve ever been in,” Lesley recalls. “My foot would shift from blue, swollen, and ice cold, like I was losing circulation, to red hot, prickly pain. It felt like someone was burning my foot.”     

Not only that, but she could not exercise, drive, or work. Sleeping was also difficult.

Lesley sought a second opinion and was told she had complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The second doctor referred her to the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center.

In February 2023 – three months after her fall – Lesley met with the Institute’s Medical Director, Erik Shaw, D.O., who gave her a sympathetic nerve block and prescribed medication to relieve her symptoms. Within two weeks, she could stand on her foot – something she hadn’t done in months. After the second nerve block, Lesley says her pain continued to subside — from level 10 to level four. She was standing for longer periods and was sleeping better.

Lesley also worked with Shepherd physical therapist Chris Nesbitt, PT, who specializes in CRPS.

In mid-November, in collaboration with Dr. Shaw, Lesley called Delta and told them she was ready to come back. Since she had been gone for a year, she was required to undergo extensive training, including evacuation, fire, and medical drills. She passed them all with flying colors and returned to the skies in mid-December.

“When I got to Shepherd Center, I couldn’t do anything,” Lesley says. “And now I’m going back to work — which is a game changer. I’m so grateful to everyone there. I felt so valued and taken care of. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Written by Sara Baxter

“Things were never the same after that,” she says of her accident.

For more than a year, Caroline, who was 17 at the time, endured worsening burning pain, hypersensitivity, and fatigue in her right leg, hip, and back.

“I didn’t really have a diagnosis, and the doctors didn’t know how to help me,” she says. “Nobody understood what I was going through.”

In December 2019, Caroline’s doctor referred her to the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center. In her first visit with the Pain Institute’s Medical Director, Erik Shaw, D.O., Dr. Shaw determined she had complex regional pain syndrome. He told her there were things he could do to help relieve her symptoms.

She started with pain blockers and immediately experienced some relief. Dr. Shaw also prescribed medication to make her flare-ups less frequent and intense. The hypersensitivity improved, and through physical therapy, she gained mobility using crutches.

In Fall 2022, doctors implanted a spinal cord stimulator that further mitigated the pain. The device has enabled her to reduce her medication and has lessened her dependence on mobility aids such as crutches and a cane.

“The changes were gradual but steady,” Caroline says of her improvements over the past four years. “Any relief I felt gave me great joy. I could wear leggings and shoes. I felt like putting on makeup. The person I had been was slowly coming back. My experience at Shepherd has been absolutely incredible,” she continues, “from the doctors to the therapists to the nurses – everyone has been incredibly supportive and kind. It’s obvious that they care and put everything they can into getting you better.”

Caroline is now in her fourth year at Kennesaw State University, studying chemistry. After she earns her degree, she hopes to become a scientist specializing in neuroscience research and chronic pain conditions. It’s a future she had trouble seeing after her injury.

“At first, everything was so daunting and depressing,” Caroline says, “but now I realize that even with this condition, I can do so much more. Shepherd Center gave me hope.”      

Written by Sara Baxter

Below are resources and information to help make sure your family is prepared in case of an emergency. 

Important Things to Consider When Creating an Emergency Preparedness Plan and Supply Kit:

• Have enough food and water to last at least three days (per person). Non-perishable and can foods are best in case of a loss of electricity. An average person needs about one gallon of water per day. And don’t forget to have three days’ worth of food and water for your pets.
• Have enough prescription medication on hand to last a minimum of three days.
• Make sure you have necessities like a manual can opener, battery-operated light sources, portable weather radio, a first aid kit, and hygiene products.
• Keep cell phones and electronic devices charged (and have portable battery devices charged) in case there is a loss of electricity.
• Make a family plan that includes how to evacuate and/or reach/assist family members who may need additional assistance such as older family members or family members with disabilities/access and functional needs.
• Discuss and practice your family communication and evacuation plan with all of your family members (including children).
• If you have to evacuate, make sure to take your emergency supply kit with you, and don’t forget to include flares, physical maps, jumper cables, extra cans of gas, and blankets.
• Keep all trees and shrubs well-trimmed to make them more wind-resistant.
• Plan to bring in all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans, and anything else that is not tied down.
• Know your area’s flood risk.
• Make sure your homeowners' insurance is up to date and includes the necessary protections, like flood insurance.
• Remember if there is a loss of electricity, ATM machines and debit/credit cards will not work. If possible, have an emergency cash fund that you can access during an emergency or prior to evacuating.
• Secure your windows/doors and know how to shut off the gas or power to your home if it becomes necessary.
• Stay on top of the latest news.

For more emergency preparedness and planning tips and how to stay safe during a hurricane, please visit Ready Georgia.

For emergency preparedness and planning tips for individuals with disabilities/access and functional needs, please visit: http://ready.ga.gov/make-a-plan/georgians-with-access-functional-needs/ 

For tips on driving smart, please visit the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Resource links to help you plan and prepare in the case of a weather emergency: 

For Georgia weather-related mobile alerts, please download the Ready Georgia app, which can be found here: http://ready.ga.gov/

For customized Emergency Preparedness supply checklists for families, pet owners, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and businesses, please visit Federal Emergency Management Agency’s webpage.

A typical fall outing for many, the day was monumental for Sybil, who has battled chronic spinal pain for decades.  

“To get out, enjoy the day, and come home the right amount of happily worn out,” she says, “I can’t tell you how good that felt.”

Sybil’s issues began with a back injury in 1993. Numerous operations followed, including two spinal fusion surgeries. Treatments provided relief at times but were too often followed by complications, eventually requiring Sybil to transition away from direct patient care as a nurse. Along the way, she had to step back from her role as a bedside nurse and move into a management position.

“I lost my ability to directly serve and care for people,” Sybil says. “I’m not the kind of person to focus on myself first, so that really bothered me.”

But she couldn’t ignore away the pain. By early 2020, it had again immobilized her to the point that she was essentially homebound. That’s when she first visited Shepherd Center and met Erik Shaw, D.O., medical director of the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute.

“He was so kind,” Sybil says. “He told me, ‘We’re going to work until we narrow down the root of all this.’ I really felt like he took a personal interest in what was going on with me. Even between visits, he would check in on me.”

Dr. Shaw identified Sybil’s cluneal nerves (sensory nerves in the lower back) as the primary culprit. Peripheral nerve blocks helped, as did radiofrequency ablations. The biggest breakthrough came when Dr. Shaw ordered Sybil a four-day trial of a peripheral nerve stimulator he thought might provide significant relief.

“I could not believe the results,” Sybil says. “I told him, ‘You can’t take it out!’ It was that profound a difference.”

Thankfully, Sybil received a permanent implant late last summer.

“It’s been a blessing ever since,” she says. “I’ve got my life back. My quality of life back.”

Before she arrived at Shepherd Center, Sybil was taking three to four doses of pain medication a day. Now, that’s down to two or three a week. Her mobility has improved dramatically, too. She’s driving again and walking up to 4,000 steps a day.

Above all, Sybil is thankful for more quality time with her daughters and granddaughter.

When Sybil’s older daughter, Jacqueline, was 20, Sybil and her late husband, Terry, fostered a child they eventually adopted, Gabriella. Today, Gabby is in college. Meanwhile, Jacqueline followed in her mother’s footsteps — both as a healthcare professional and as a mom who adopted her own daughter, Elizabeth, now 10. All three generations of Williams women live together.

“We’re different from your typical family,” Sybil says. “And I think that’s what makes us so close.”

Sybil now picks up Elizabeth from school each day, and they both look forward to Gabby’s visits home from college. Weekends often include popcorn and movie nights — a Marvel movie if Elizabeth is picking. And they’re planning their first family vacation in forever this year, hopefully to Yellowstone.

“I’ve told Dr. Shaw this,” Sybil says. “He didn’t just make a huge difference in my life. He made a huge difference in my family’s life. And that means the world.”

Written by Phillip Jordan

Pursuing Possible with Shepherd Center

To support patient stories like this one, please consider contributing to Shepherd Center's Pursuing Possible campaign.            

In 2021, one such solution took shape when Shepherd Center announced its partnership with Burnalong, a digital health solution offering live and on-demand health and wellness content. The hospital and online wellness platform are collaborating to create and distribute world-class, specialty programming that makes wellness accessible to all.

“As a non-disabled person, you can go online or choose any gym you want. The same is not necessarily true for those with disabilities,” says Deborah Backus, PT, Ph.D., FACRM, Shepherd Center vice president of research and innovation. “This partnership came from a desire to offer people choices while providing expertise, support, and community aspects as well.”

Burnalong is designed to meet users where they are by featuring more than 30,000 classes, including yoga, exercise, and financial wellness courses for people of all abilities.

“Alongside the unparalleled range of classes and programs, one of the biggest things that sets Burnalong apart is the social experience. You can see and hear each other live. You can join communities. It ensures people get the support they need,” says Burnalong CEO Daniel Freedman. “You can do classes alone or with others, whether friends, family members, or people at a similar stage of life as you so you can find kindred spirits and social motivation.”

Shepherd’s highly trained specialists are developing live and on-demand content geared toward people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, spine and chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological conditions. Currently, Shepherd patients, staff, and Burnalong users can access the classes.

“The great thing is that these classes span across all our specialties and are appropriate for many neurological diagnoses and patients who we serve at Shepherd,” says Marina Moldavskiy, ACRP-CP, Shepherd Center’s tele-wellness program manager and exercise physiologist.

Meg Stevenson is a physical therapist at Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative, a comprehensive rehabilitation program that delivers world-class treatment at no cost to veterans, service members, and first responders who are dealing with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and mental health concerns. Every other Thursday, she leads a gentle yoga livestream class on the Burnalong platform. Her patients log on from home to attend the live class, which helps them stay in shape mentally and physically while also connecting with each other.

“Clients really enjoy being able to stay in touch with me,” she says. “We end up doing 45-50 minutes of yoga because we spend 15 minutes catching up. I think they honestly enjoy that piece as much as the yoga.”

Although not all of Stevenson’s SHARE clients can attend the live stream, they can access all the recorded classes on demand.

“I’ve recorded several guided meditation sessions,” Stevenson says. “They’ve been a game changer. I have one client that was so blown away by his experience, he uses it two to four times per night to help him sleep.”

All of Shepherd Center’s virtual fitness and wellness classes can be prescribed by rehabilitation experts to patients once they return home.

“We are always thinking of ways to empower our patients before they return home,” Moldavskiy, says. “When our patients are at Shepherd, there’s always a rehabilitation professional there to guide them or give them information. Our hope is that this platform can help them feel empowered to continue when they leave our walls.” 

While Burnalong is creating an inclusive community, it also opens opportunities for further research. Shepherd Center’s Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute is piloting a multiple sclerosis (MS) study to better understand the program's benefits and if it changes a participant’s quality of life. If you are interested in participating in MS research, click here.

“We are incredibly grateful for Shepherd Center and their shared mission and values,” Freedman says. “We’re excited to explore new areas and bring on new content and programs, and together make an impact globally with Shepherd Center.  

Written by Lindsey Rieben

Chronic pain is a complex medical problem that can have profound effects on one’s physical and mental well-being. To better understand chronic pain and continue to develop, refine, and evaluate new treatments, surgical techniques, and diagnostic tools, Shepherd Center launched the Samsky Spine and Pain Research Fund (the Fund).

“So much is yet to be learned about the optimal way to manage chronic pain. This is particularly important for the population we serve at Shepherd Center – those with neurological illness and injury. At Shepherd Center, we always want to provide cutting-edge clinical services and help establish best practices through research,” says Michael Yochelson, M.D., MBA, chief medical officer at Shepherd Center.

The Fund, started by Brett and Louise Samsky, will be used for research in the field of chronic and interventional pain management with a focus on patients with neurological disorders.

“Louise and I are honored to invest in advancing the research and care for those with chronic pain,” Brett Samsky says. “We look forward to seeing the impact of Shepherd’s Pain Clinic and Dr. Lee’s research for years to come. Shepherd Center represents hope for so many and we are grateful to be a part of its powerful mission.”

In addition to the research itself, the fund will support all resources necessary to carry out that work, including support for key positions. Augustine Lee, M.D., joined Shepherd Center in September 2022 as a staff physiatrist and researcher in the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute, an outpatient clinic that offers acute and chronic pain management and rehabilitation for spine, joint, and other pain-related conditions. He will lead the research effort for the Fund and answered some questions about his role.

Q: What is your primary role at Shepherd Center?

I’m a staff physiatrist and researcher in the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute. My role includes performing research about chronic pain, seeing patients clinically, and performing procedures for pain and spine conditions when appropriate.

Serving as a practicing clinician while also leading research in this role, I get to be on the front lines and better identify areas for research that will be the most impactful, practical, and meaningful to my patients.

Q: Why is chronic pain misunderstood?

Chronic pain remains a challenge to properly diagnose, manage, and treat in a cost-effective manner. It can be caused by many factors like back and neck pathology, autoimmune processes, and spinal cord or brain injuries that all require a unique treatment approach. Chronic pain can also be processed by the nervous system in a complex manner that can result in persistent perception of pain despite resolution of the initial injury. Add to that the fact that pain can be challenging to quantify or visualize, so it can be difficult to explain and study. All of these factors lead to chronic pain being misunderstood.

Q: What research are you most excited about?

I’m excited to focus on optimizing results for people with chronic pain conditions. Our large, unique patient population at Shepherd will give me great insight into what research I can contribute that will be most meaningful to them.

I’m also excited to work with accomplished researchers at Shepherd like Edelle Field-Fote, PT, Ph.D., FAPTA, FASIA, who is working on interesting research using electrical stimulation that may alter the way motor or sensory function is processed and delivered throughout the body that may result in better function and reduced pain perception in our patients.

There are many exciting possibilities, and I’m happy to be a part of the team at Shepherd to begin this work.

About Dr. Lee
Augustine Lee, M.D., is a staff physiatrist and clinical researcher at the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center and adjunct faculty for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Emory University School of Medicine. After completing a residency in PM&R at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Lee completed a North American Spine Society-recognized fellowship in Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This clinical fellowship included specific emphasis on the administration of non-operative fluoroscopic interventional procedures for the treatment of painful spinal pathologies. In addition to his clinical training while at Tufts, Dr. Lee completed postdoctoral research fellowship training with a focus on clinical trials and epidemiological analyses for the treatment of patients with chronic pain conditions. Dr. Lee has authored over 50 peer-reviewed research publications, and his research interests are to disentangle the heterogeneity of treatment response, investigate novel therapeutics, and optimize the treatment paradigm for adults with painful conditions.

I am a physical therapist in the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center. I work with people who have chronic pain issues limiting their function or negatively affecting their quality of life. I have worked at Shepherd Center since 2004.

Q: What is chronic pain?

The simplest description of chronic pain is pain that continues for more than three months. It can generally be understood as pain that lasts longer than it took for an injury or illness to heal. Sometimes this happens for no obvious reason. Pain is like an alarm system to help protect us, but with chronic pain, the alarm can get too sensitive. During the past 30 years, we have learned that chronic pain can change our nervous systems and how our brains process pain. We strive to be mindful of our words because how we talk about pain can strongly influence a person’s understanding of their condition and pain experience.

Q: What do you want people to understand about chronic pain?

Pain is not equal to tissue damage. If the tissues are healed from an injury and the person is still experiencing pain, then there are ways to address it. If a person is experiencing pain, they are experiencing pain, even if you can’t see it. The better someone understands how pain works, the better they can manage it. One easy-to-access resource is www.Retrainpain.org.

Q: How does physical therapy for chronic pain differ from other forms of physical therapy?

It’s all physical therapy! The profession is changing, and more PT programs are including pain science, which leads to improvements in approaches to pain. As a specialty pain clinic, we sometimes focus more on things that can be difficult to measure. We often see people with neurological conditions that affect how they move. Over time, altered movement patterns can influence orthopedic issues that increase pain with daily activities. A lot of things can influence the pain of someone living with a long-term chronic condition. Some people begin to experience pain with activities that are not normally expected to hurt. That is a sign the pain system has become increasingly sensitive. For some people experiencing chronic pain, we use a series  of “brain exercises” called Graded Motor Imagery. It’s a strategy to get the pain alarm system to return to its normal settings.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

People living with pain can be frustrated with healthcare experiences because they don’t feel like the doctor or therapist believes or understands them. Patients appreciate someone who will listen to their experience and acknowledge that their experience is real and makes sense. Sometimes we can really help people feel like they got a part of their lives back because we helped them put their pain on the back burner. That’s a nice thing to work for.

How do I schedule an appointment for physical therapy?

We require a referral from a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant prior to scheduling. Please contact the New Patient Coordinator at 404-603-4203 or email at painreferrals@shepherd.org to provide your referral and to inquire about scheduling an appointment.

Pursuing Possible with Shepherd Center

To support patient stories like this, please consider contributing to Shepherd Center's Pursuing Possible campaign. Click here to learn more. 

Those words were spoken by James Liadis, M.D., staff physiatrist in the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center, in December 2018. And they were words Carolynn Goerke had been waiting to hear for years. 

Diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome at 17, Carolynn has been dealing with debilitating chronic pain for half of her life, the worst of which has been in the last six years. The condition became so severe that she could not move her left arm, hold her head up independently, or walk unassisted. As a result, she wore a neck collar and used a wheelchair. It was also extremely painful to be touched, which made dressing herself and hugging her husband, James, impossible. 

She said on the pain scale of one to 10, she “lived” at the edge of 10. For years, Carolynn and James, who just celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary, searched for answers and relief, consulting with countless doctors. The only thing that got them through this difficult journey was their strong Catholic faith. 

“Nobody could tell me what was wrong, so they were limited in what they could offer in terms of a solution,” Carolynn says. She underwent several radio-frequency ablations – a minimally invasive procedure that can be used to treat chronic pain – and she tried numerous medications. Often the pain was relieved temporarily, but it inevitably returned worse than before. Some doctors said there was nothing they could do. 

Then, she found a neurologist who advised her to go to Shepherd Center, which she did in December 2018. 

Dr. Liadis was familiar with what Carolynn was experiencing and offered immediate treatment options. 

“Just having someone listen and understand what I was going through was amazing,” she says. “He had more in his arsenal than other doctors we saw, and he offered us hope.” 

She was put on ketamine infusions and eventually started physical and speech therapy. Now, nearly four years later, the pain is being managed, she’s out of the neck brace, has regained use of her left arm, and can hug James and hold his hand. She admits progress has been slow, but just seeing any improvement has been motivating. 

“It’s like I have been stuck on the top of a mountain for years,” she says. “Now I’m coming down slowly. Each step is significant. I still have a lot more to go, but thanks to Shepherd Center, we are finally on the right path.” 

Written by Sara Baxter

By Wendy Magnoli, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center

We've seen tremendous progress in pain and its management over the past several years. However, there are still a lot of myths and misconceptions out there. Here are the top 10 myths I hear most frequently.  

1. If you cannot find the exact cause of your pain, then it must be in your head.

Many pain syndromes are not correlated with findings on any medical tests or scans. Just because the cause of your pain does not show up on tests, this does not mean that your pain is not “real.” Many patients with chronic back pain have no significant findings on MRI scans. The opposite is also true – many individuals who have significant findings on MRI imaging report no problems with back pain.

2. Chronic pain isn’t that bad because you get used to it after a while.

Chronic pain always hurts. Yes, you may get used to it, modify your life around the pain, and learn to function with it, but it still hurts.

3. If you take opiates, you must be or will be an addict.

Most people who take opiates for an extended period develop a chemical dependence on the medication and can go into withdrawals if the medication is suddenly stopped. This, however, is NOT addiction. Addiction is a condition characterized by cravings and misuse of the medication to get a “high” or attempt to relieve negative emotions such as depression or anxiety.

4. Chronic pain is forever.

Chronic pain is not necessarily an incurable disease. If a chronic pain condition has been present for years, it is unlikely that a doctor will be able to fix it in just a few visits. Still, it may be possible to diminish or even eliminate chronic pain with persistence and teamwork.

5. Living with chronic pain eliminates the possibility of a fulfilling life.

While chronic pain can significantly impact daily life, it does not mean life must be spent in isolation or without joy. Although some modifications may be necessary, an individual with chronic pain can continue to live a fulfilling life consistent with their values.

6. Chronic pain is an inevitable part of growing older.

Although a few aches and pains are to be expected as we get older, a generally healthy person should not expect to wake up every day with chronic pain. Chronic pain is not inevitable, and thinking that it is may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

7. The best treatment for chronic pain is bed rest.

Prolonged inactivity can actually make chronic pain worse through deconditioning. It is important to stay physically active without overdoing it. Talk to your doctor and/or physical therapist to determine the right balance for you.

8. Weather has no impact on “real” pain.

Changes in weather can affect pain levels related to joint pain, and barometric pressure changes can affect headache pain. Depending on the type of pain, extreme heat or cold can also impact pain levels.

9. Alternative treatments are ineffective.

Many alternative treatment modalities (such as acupuncture, essential oils, massage, herbal supplements, etc.) can be excellent additions to a more traditional treatment plan. Check with your treating physician to ensure that any alternative treatment you are considering is safe and will not interfere with your current treatment plan.

10. If a person has “real” physical pain, then psychological treatment is not needed.

People with chronic pain face many challenges and stressors related to their medical struggles and life changes and may experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. Since chronic pain can impact every aspect of life, supportive therapy for dealing with these issues can be very helpful. Pain psychology can also help people with chronic pain learn new skills (such as relaxation techniques) that can be helpful in the self-management of pain.

About Dr. Magnoli
Wendy Magnoli, Ph.D., is a psychologist for the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute outpatient clinic. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Auburn University and completed her internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Dr. Magnoli has specialized training and experience in pain psychology as well as other areas of health psychology. She is a certified clinical trauma professional with years of experience treating individuals with both acute and chronic trauma histories. She is especially interested in the association between trauma and chronic pain.

“I was close to suicide,” Michael recalls. “I would not be here today – and have the life I have – without Dr. Shaw and his team.”

On May 7, 2009, Michael was getting a routine blood draw for a life insurance policy when the technician missed his vein and accidentally hit a nerve. The injury resulted in a condition called chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS-II), causing Michael to have debilitating nerve pain “24/7” from his fingers to his elbow.

“The pain was unbearable,” Michael says. “It was like constantly banging your funny bone, but there was no bang.”

He saw several doctors, but no one could find a solution.

“They dismissed me,” he says, “telling me there was nothing they could do. I was struggling as a father, my marriage failed and I thought my life as I knew it was over.”

Finally, in spring 2011, Michael was referred to the Spine and Pain Institute. There, he met with Erik Shaw, D.O., the medical director of the Institute. Dr. Shaw listened to his story, diagnosed him and laid out a plan for treatment. The solution was an infusion-based therapy that provided him with real relief.

One of the factors that sets the Spine and Pain Institute apart is the multi-disciplinary approach taken to treat chronic pain. In addition to his visits with Dr. Shaw, Michael also saw a psychologist and a physical therapist to complement the treatment he was receiving.

“For the first time, I felt people were hearing me,” he says. “And they understood what I was going through.”

Michael says that through it all, the reason he kept getting up every morning was for his three children.

“Shepherd gave the abilities and treatments to improve, yet the drive to find a sense of normalcy was because of my children and wanting to be a better dad to them and for them,” he says. “Shepherd helped make that possible.”

Though Michael was not cured overnight, and he still receives infusions every few months, the improvements gave him a new lease on life.

He decided to go back to college, earning a bachelor’s of science degree in education. He is now a special education teacher at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and also coaches wrestling and football at the school.

“If it wasn’t for Shepherd Center, I wouldn’t be alive today,” Michael says. “I am now a college graduate, a well-respected coach and I’m living a life I thought was gone. It is an amazing place.”

Written by Sara Baxter

By Wendy Magnoli, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center

In the past, we have seen pain issues as having either a physical or medical cause or a psychological cause. In other words, individuals saw pain as either “real” or “all in your head.” Fortunately, over the past several decades, this model has been replaced by the biopsychosocial model of pain, which operates on the belief that all pain experiences are a combination of physical/medical, psychological and social factors.

This is a huge shift, and this new model more fully acknowledges the complexity of the pain experience. It allows for a two-way feedback loop between the mind and the body, with each impacting the other. For example, whereas pain can contribute to the development of feelings of depression and anxiety, it is also possible for symptoms of depression and anxiety to directly affect the pain experience itself. This can become a confusing cycle over time and is just one example of how pain psychology services can help make sense of the experience of living with pain.

Chronic pain affects every area of a person’s life, which can present multiple challenges with adjusting to changes in mobility, relationships, ability to fulfill responsibilities, self-image, mood and many other factors. Pain psychology can help navigate these changes and transitions, address mood and relationship issues, and implement various pain management strategies. Whereas many aspects of pain treatment involve having things done by medical providers (e.g., injections, nerve blocks, physical therapy interventions, prescription medications), pain psychology can help individuals with chronic pain take back some feeling of control by learning strategies they can implement themselves to manage their pain. These interventions include, but are not limited to, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness techniques, hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy. By learning techniques to help manage their pain, individuals can gain more control over their treatment, comfort and well-being.

The Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center embraces a multi-disciplinary biopsychosocial approach to pain management with team members from various professional specialties working closely together to ensure quality outcomes for those individuals we treat. We treat a wide variety of pain issues, including conditions of the spine and spinal cord, headaches, joint and muscle conditions, nerve pain, spasticity, and complex regional pain syndrome (formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy). In addition to treating former inpatients of Shepherd Center, we also treat a wide range of individuals in the community and surrounding regional area. Our pain medicine physicians frequently refer the individuals they work with to pain psychology services, especially when chronic pain significantly impacts mood, activities, and/or relationships with family and friends. These referrals are not made because of a belief that the pain is “all in their head,” but because strategies can be taught to help individuals cope with pain and even reduce the pain somewhat. After the referral, the pain physician continues to provide ongoing medical care and works closely with the pain psychologist to ensure the best possible outcome.

To learn more about the Spine and Pain Institute, click here.

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About Dr. Magnoli
Wendy Magnoli, Ph.D., is a psychologist for the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute outpatient clinic. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Auburn University and completed her internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Dr. Magnoli has specialized training and experience in pain psychology as well as other areas of health psychology. She is a certified clinical trauma professional with years of experience treating individuals with both acute and chronic trauma histories. She is especially interested in the association between trauma and chronic pain.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, hundreds of thousands of patients have required intubation and the use of a ventilator. These lifesaving pieces of equipment have helped thousands of patients breathe, but they will also make it very difficult to speak. Being intubated involves a tube passing between the vocal cords into the windpipe; therefore, it can make it very difficult for patients to communicate verbally.

For decades at Shepherd Center, we have been caring for patients with spinal cord and brain injury who cannot speak due to intubation, vocal cord paralysis, tracheal stenosis and other conditions. They all have this in common – the desire to communicate. A patient's inability to communicate can add extra stress to a patient who is already in crisis mode. In fact, several studies have reported that a patient's inability to communicate can cause or further exacerbate feelings of psychological and emotional distress, anxiety, panic, fear, frustration and helplessness. Looking at it another way, a patient's ability to communicate when intubated also can decrease complications stemming from a lack of communication with members of their healthcare team.

With the rate of intubation again on the rise due to COVID-19, we continue to receive several requests from healthcare providers and peers around the country asking for advice and resources on how to help hospitalized patients with limited ability to speak. Here are my suggestions for helping people with COVID-19 find their voices.

Keep it Simple – While we all love our high-tech communication tools, sometimes simpler is better. If a patient is intubated and unable to speak but can still use his or her hands, try to communicate with pen and paper. You can also use a whiteboard and dry erase markers. A Boogie Board LCD writing tablet is also a good option if you have access to one. Of course, make sure to disinfect anything you use to communicate.

Use Yes and No – Establish a sound system of “yes” and “no” based on the patient’s capabilities. This can be as simple as thumbs up for “yes” and thumbs down for “no.” Other options are to nod your head up and down for “yes” and side to side for “no” or blink once for “yes” and twice for “no.” Then, ask targeted questions to investigate what the patient may need. Always confirm that what you think the patient is saying is correct. Make a note in the patient’s record or in the patient’s room of what their “yes” and “no” system is so that other providers can use it as well. Once you establish your yes and no system, communication will become much more manageable.

Communicate with a Board – Try using a communication board. These boards can simply say “yes” or “no,” or they can include various words such as “pain,” “thirsty,” “I’m cold,” or “What is that medication?” Or you can find premade boards with hospital-focused vocabulary here. To use one, you'll want to:

• Print out and laminate the communication board.
• Establish a reliable “yes” and “no” system with the patient.
• Place the board so that it is visible to the patient.
• If the patient can point, have them point at what they’re trying to say on the board.
• If they cannot use their hands to point, point to each row in order and ask: “Is it in this row?” or say “Row 1,” “Row 2,” etc.
• Once the patient makes a row selection, point to each successive box in the row and ask, “Is it this one?” or read the text in each box.
• Be sure to modify your speed according to the individual patient’s needs.
• Disinfect the board.

Our custom communication boards have been such a tremendous resource to our patients that Tobii Dynavox, a company that develops and provides eye-tracking technology for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), adapted them and translated them into more than 20 languages to be used all over the world.

"When the pandemic swept across the globe last year, we were deeply concerned about individuals who currently use AAC to support their voice and in addition to all those without any warning losing their ability to communicate even the simplest of request,” says Tara Rudnicki, president of the North American Market for Tobii Dynavox. “In a chaotic hospital setting, these communication boards gave and continue to give each patient the ability to participate in their own healthcare decisions in a crisis time. They also assisted healthcare workers to quickly focus on patient needs, concerns and questions in order to deliver the best care possible."

Test Technology – Dozens of mobile apps are available to help with non-verbal communication, including Vocable, which tracks head movements to facilitate communication. There are also apps that will act as a whiteboard. When there is time for training on both the patient and provider side, these apps can be invaluable. But in a time when hospitals and care providers are likely overburdened, simpler might be better. Also, keep in mind that in many healthcare facilities, Wi-Fi coverage may be spotty, which makes many apps and online tools difficult and frustrating to use. If this is the case, see above and keep it simple.

During these challenging times, I understand that there may be no time to use some of these tools. If that’s the case, I recommend simply using the whiteboard or writing the alphabet on a piece of paper.

For additional information regarding communication strategies for hospitalized patients with limited ability to speak, please visit these resources:

• ICU Communication Boards
• Tobii Dynavox Communication Boards (account required to download)
• Patientprovidercommunication.org
• COVID-19 Communication Board
• Partner Assisted Communication Video
• Vocable App

For more information, you can contact me at adina.bradshaw@shepherd.org.

Shepherd Center announced today that it has been named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN. Shepherd Center earned this recognition with a score of 90 out of a possible 100 on the Disability Equality Index® (DEI), the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool for measuring disability inclusion in the workplace.

“This recognition by American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN underscores Shepherd Center’s commitment to its mission, which is to help people with disabilities rebuild their lives with hope, independence and dignity, while advocating for their full inclusion in all aspects of community life,” said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We’re honored by this recognition and will continue to expand our efforts to increase inclusion and celebrate the unique talents and perspectives our team brings to Shepherd Center and the community.”

Of the 272 businesses to qualify for the Disability Equality Index in 2021 with scores of 80 or above, Shepherd Center was one of 58 companies to earn a score of 90 or higher. Shepherd Center is one of only a few hospitals to receive a score of 90 or above.

“The Disability Equality Index shines a spotlight on companies that believe they have a stake in creating a more equitable society for people with disabilities,” said Maria Town, president and CEO of AAPD. “It is a conduit for our work championing disability rights for the 60 million Americans with disabilities and knocking down barriers to employment, technology and healthcare, and we're thrilled to see the progress being made today.”

A company’s 2021 DEI score is based on their self-reported inclusion practices, policies and hiring commitment for people with disabilities during the calendar year 2020. The DEI participants invest time and resources to build inclusive programs and policies across six areas, including culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices (e.g., benefits, recruitment, employment, education, retention and advancement, and accommodations), community engagement and supplier diversity.

This year’s DEI was modernized to ask companies new questions that account for the evolving workplace following COVID-19. These questions address things such as their investments in innovative technology to advance digital accessibility, the availability of mental health and wellness benefits, paid caregiver leave, supplemental long-term disability insurance, accessible remote and in-person conferencing technologies, and flexible work options for people with disabilities.

You can view the entire Disability Equality Index here.

About the Disability Equality Index®

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.

The project, titled “Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic Through the Use of Telehealth for a High-Risk Population of Patients with Complex Neurological Disorders,” won first place in the Specialty Hospitals category. These annual awards recognize Georgia healthcare organizations for achievement in reducing the risk of medical errors and improving patient safety and medical outcomes.

Because of the increasing impact of COVID-19 on our communities and healthcare systems, like many healthcare organizations, Shepherd Center made the challenging decision to reduce in-person outpatient clinic visits. In addition, Shepherd Center closed several areas of the hospital’s outpatient services, keeping only those services for high-risk and chronic patients who needed ongoing infusion therapy or procedures to treat their conditions.

“There are so many people that were a part of this process, from our front line staff to our executive leadership,” said Marsha Hanson, RN, BSN, CRRN, director of outpatient services. “Because of our special patient population, we couldn’t delay or halt their care. We made it our mission to think outside the box and develop ways to continue to care for our patients outside of our walls and take care into patients’ homes.”

During the pilot and full implementation of the project, Shepherd Center's team took a continuous improvement approach and often refined the scheduling process and communication with patients. The team adjusted workflows in each outpatient area based on the needs of patients and providers. The full implementation showed Shepherd Center was able to successfully meet the needs of patients by offering telehealth while reducing virus exposure risk to patients and staff members.

“We were able to provide telerehabilitation, telepyschology and telemedicine services to ensure patients didn’t lose progress on the function and outcomes they had already gained before COVID,” Hanson said. “We’re grateful to everyone who put a lot of innovative thinking into what we were able to accomplish in a short timeframe and to our executive leadership and board for giving us the support to make it all happen.”

Between March 17 and July 31, 2020, Shepherd Center completed 5,353 telehealth visits and 668 telephone visits across 13 departments with 78 providers and clinicians. Virtual visits have since expanded and will continue in Shepherd Center's outpatient wellness program. Both telehealth and virtual programs will continue. Throughout the pandemic and after, Shepherd Center will continue to modify programs and workflows to meet the needs of patients, payors and regulations, Hanson said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic forced a re-examination of the manner in which hospitals are accustomed to delivering care,” said Georgia Hospital Association President and CEO Earl Rogers. “We applaud Shepherd Center for its innovation in the use of telehealth to ensure no interruptions in the care of its patient population.”

About PHA
The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA), an affiliate of GHA, was established in January 2000 to improve patient care and patient safety in hospitals and other healthcare facilities and create healthy communities.

About GHA
Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 170 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgia’s citizens. The mission of GHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities by serving as the leading advocate for all Georgia hospitals and healthcare systems. GHA represents its members before the General Assembly and Congress, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, and is an allied member of the American Hospital Association. For more information, call 770-249-4500 or visit gha.org.

Shepherd Center is a nationally-ranked neurorehabilitation hospital that helps restore the lives of patients with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions stemming from a life-altering injury or diagnosis. It is one of only a few neurorehabilitation specialty hospitals in the nation, having served more than 35,000 patients to date.

Bernie Marcus’ support of Shepherd Center started in the early 1980s at the outset of his long-tenured dedication to philanthropy. He and his wife, Billi, have since been generous supporters of the hospital through both The Marcus Foundation as well through personal donations.

“Billi and Bernie believed in us from the beginning as we dreamed to do the impossible, establishing a specialized rehabilitation program following the catastrophic accident our son, James, experienced,” said Alana Shepherd, Shepherd Center co-founder and chairman of the board. “With The Marcus Foundation’s generosity, we were able to grow from a singular focus on patients with spinal cord injury to now also providing life-restoring care for patients with brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.”

The Marcus Foundation has been a critical partner as Shepherd Center continued to expand both its capacity and programming to meet the needs of its patients and their families over the years, beginning with a grant in 1988 to fund construction of Shepherd Center’s Billi Marcus Building. Across The Marcus Foundation’s partnership with Shepherd Center, groundbreaking programs were also created like the Marcus Community Bridge Program that supported patients after their inpatient care ended and the SHARE Military Initiative for U.S. service members who experience traumatic brain injury. The Marcuses are also emeriti members of the Shepherd Center Board and have provided personal support to the hospital in various ways, including Billi’s service as the chair of Shepherd Center’s annual fundraising golf tournament for 17 consecutive years.

“Watching Alana and her family nurture the organization from an idea into the premier destination for neurorehabilitation has inspired my family and foundation to continue driving Shepherd Center’s mission forward,” Marcus said. “Billi and I are excited to be a part of Shepherd Center’s next chapters, which will save and change even more patients’ lives from catastrophic injuries and neurological conditions.”

The $80 million grant will support additional capacity so more patients and families can receive Shepherd Center’s transformative care that centers as much on clinical excellence as it does on giving patients confidence and real-world tools to live as independently and pain-free as possible.

“Billi and Bernie have been a profound part of Shepherd Center’s legacy, proving that they will go to great lengths to help us impact, empower and transform the lives of thousands of patients following a catastrophic injury or disease,” said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We are thrilled that their commitment will carry forward with us into this next era, which will only be further enriched by our ongoing partnership.”

Marcus added, “In this season of gratitude, I challenge businesses and individuals throughout the community to join me in supporting this critical institution that makes what seems impossible after a life-changing injury or illness a reality for so many thousands of patients and their families.”

For more information, contact:

Leslie Jackson
Communications Manager
Shepherd Center Foundation
404-350-7778
leslie.jackson@shepherd.org

One of the AJC Peachtree Road Race’s most beloved traditions will expand in 2020. Atlanta Track Club and Shepherd Center announced that Shepherd Center’s AJC Peachtree Road Race Wheelchair Division of the Virtual Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race -- a race within the race -- will be open to all wheelchair athletes regardless of pace and experience.

Traditionally held as an elite-only division, the virtual nature of this year’s event eliminates space and time restrictions meaning anyone can register to take part. Registration is open now.

“The Peachtree has always been a race for everyone,” said Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club’s executive director and race director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. “With participants able to be a part of the celebration regardless of where they are, we look forward to bringing this Atlanta tradition to runners, walkers and wheelers all over the world."

The Virtual Running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will kick off on Thanksgiving Day and be open through 11:59 p.m. on November 29. Race kits, including the coveted AJC Peachtree Road Race finisher’s shirt, will be delivered in October. Participants will be invited to download the AJC Peachtree Road Race app, where they will be able to track their progress on the traditional Peachtree course, hear the familiar sounds of the race and record their results. The app will be available in early November.

“2020 has been a year unlike any other, and Shepherd Center is proud to take part in bringing the time-honored tradition to an even larger group of people,” says Rebecca Washburn, MS, manager of Shepherd Center’s Beyond Therapy^® and wellness programs. “In this 38^th year of Shepherd Center's AJC Peachtree Road Race Wheelchair Division, we hope to offer a virtual experience that will engage our longtime athletes and bring new wheelers and supporters to the Peachtree.”

When registering here, elite wheelers can enter the promotion code SHEPHERDELITE for free registration. Open wheelers can enter promotional code SHEPHERDOPEN for free registration. Free registrations are limited and are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration ends November 1.

The Peachtree has also added a division for push-assist athletes, which is also historically only available to athletes who meet certain qualifying standards.

Held on the Fourth of July since 1970, the AJC Peachtree Road Race was moved to Thanksgiving Day in 2020 in hopes of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as cases continued to climb, Atlanta Track Club decided to hold the race virtually to keep participants, volunteers and staff safe. 

Founded in 2000 as the Shepherd Spine and Pain Institute, it was renamed the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute in 2007 after Dean Stroud, the grandson of the late Bill Erb, who was a longtime supporter of Shepherd Center. Stroud passed away in a boating accident in 2004, after which Erb made a generous gift to Shepherd Center in Dean’s memory. In addition to this gift, Erb’s company, ERB Industries, has continued its company-wide employee giving program benefitting the Spine and Pain Institute to this day.

“Shepherd Center is always evaluating programs that will allow us to better serve our patient population,” said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We found that our patients with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis or other neuromuscular concerns often experienced chronic pain, but we did not have a team solely focused on treating that under our own roof. Opening the Spine and Pain Institute was a natural fit for Shepherd Center that allowed us to expand the comprehensive care our patients receive.”

Chronic pain can be very complex and have significant impacts on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. Since its inception, the Spine and Pain Institute has used a multidisciplinary approach to medicine geared toward treating both the physical and emotional components of pain.

“Everyone experiences pain in a unique way,” said Erik Shaw, D.O., physiatrist and medical director of the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute. “Our goal is to look at each individual and customize our treatment plan to maximize their quality of life as much as possible.”

The multidisciplinary team works together to diagnose each patient and identify appropriate rehabilitation and advanced non-surgical interventions and/or medications. The team includes interventional and rehabilitation physiatrists, a nurse practitioner, experienced nursing staff, psychologists, a physical therapist and case managers. This approach allows the team to ensure patients receive the best care possible for the treatment of their pain. This focus on improving pain in turn improves patients’ quality of life.

“We take a holistic approach to care and try to understand how to make the patient better,” said Barbara Butkus, nurse manager of the Spine and Pain Institute. “There is such a variety of treatment options today. Nobody should have to live with chronic pain.”

Looking ahead, the Spine and Pain Institute aims to expand access to its care. In April 2020, along with several other outpatient clinics at Shepherd Center, it launched telehealth medical, rehabilitation and psychological services visits for established outpatients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth visits make it possible for medical providers and patients to virtually see and hear each other, providing better interaction and ensuring there are no gaps in the care of patients’ pain management.

In addition to initiating virtual telehealth across the hospital’s continuum of care, Shepherd Center is working on a strategic fundraising campaign over the next five years to expand the physical footprint of the hospital. The expansion will allow it to offer more services and see more patients.

“I am very excited about the prospect of the physical expansion of this unit,” Butkus said. “The excellent care we give is known throughout the community, but there is a wait time to get a visit with our providers. The wonderful support from donors, management and Shepherd Center’s boards will allow us to treat more patients in the future.”

The Spine and Pain Institute is also pursuing innovative research to advance pain management and treatment.

“There are a lot of opportunities at Shepherd Center for contributing to research in pain treatment,” Dr. Shaw said. “We have implemented treatment combinations that have helped the unique cases we see and plan to continue to pursue these novel therapies in the future.”

One specific field of study the Spine and Pain Institute hopes to advance is spinal cord stimulation. With this technology, a small wire with electrodes stimulates nerves and helps block pain signals so patients can improve their comfort throughout the day.

“Spinal cord stimulation has the potential to help manage pain for our patient populations at Shepherd Center,” Dr. Shaw said. “Our team has the opportunity to work on exciting, innovative treatment options that haven’t been pursued before.”

The Spine and Pain Institute would not function without the support of the teams who work tirelessly on behalf of Shepherd Center’s patients.

“The success of what we do depends on everyone working together and advocating for the patient,” Butkus said. “The staff’s enthusiasm to learn and care for patients makes the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute the best in its field. I look forward to what the future holds.”

Written by Damjana Alverson

“Voting is one of our most important civic duties and fundamental rights,” says John Smith, director of government relations and advocacy at Shepherd Center. “Voters with disabilities should know their rights and expect that polling places will provide proper accommodations for accessibility. In addition to the federal protections, Georgia law requires that all polling locations be accessible and have poll workers ready to assist all voters. It is important that all voters know the issues and exercise their right to vote.”

In this online publication, the U.S. Justice Department provides information about federal laws that protect these rights. These laws include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

For example, if the elevated stage of a school auditorium is used as a polling place, there must be a ramp to the stage, and there should be signage and/or a poll worker directing a voter in a wheelchair to that ramp if it is not in plain view. Also, the voting booth height must be adjusted to meet the needs of wheelchair users.

With a presidential election on the ballot, Smith says to be prepared for voting lines to be long.

“If you decide to vote in person, wear a mask to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 and other illnesses, and make sure you come prepared with any supplies you need to help sustain you through a long line,” Smith says. “These might include medications, snacks, a water bottle and personal hygiene items.”

If at any time you feel that you have faced barriers in voting, including registering to vote, casting a ballot or accessing a polling place, because of your disability, you can contact your state election officials (typically your Secretary of State’s office) or you can file an ADA complaint here.

For voters who choose not to vote in person, Smith noted that options such as voting by mail and online voter registration make the voting process more accessible to everyone. 

If you choose to vote by mail, time is of the essence. It is important to start this process as soon as possible to ensure your request is processed in time. Nearly every state has unique election laws that dictate their election processes, including how people register to vote, how they vote by mail (absentee ballot) and the timeline for each.

As soon as possible, you need to be registered to vote in your home state and request a mail-in ballot. The easiest way to check your voting status and to request a mail-in ballot is to utilize TurboVote.org, a website that connects you to your state’s election website and simplifies the steps required to register and request a ballot. While you can always go directly to your state’s election website, TurboVote.org can help streamline the process.

“When COVID-19 began impacting our community, we knew we had to help,” said Colgate Mattress Vice President Richard Wolkin. “As a manufacturing facility, we have the unique ability to repurpose some of our supplies for masks. We have worked tirelessly to manufacture a mask that can be utilized to better protect our community.”

Colgate Mattress^TM, the nation’s oldest family-owned manufacturer of crib mattresses and accessories, is committed to supporting its local Atlanta community during the recent coronavirus pandemic. In response to the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, Colgate is taking actionable steps to manufacture necessary masks at scale. Shepherd Center, also an Atlanta mainstay, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions.

Over the course of three days, Colgate Mattress developed a mask prototype and accelerated manufacturing efforts to produce about 500 masks per day. 

“We’re grateful for and inspired by local businesses such as Colgate who have pivoted on their own business model to help organizations during this time,"  said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We’re grateful to Colgate for committing to keeping our community safer. Community support is always vital, but even moreso during this challenging time.”

Colgate Mattress also continues to manufacture and provide parents with high-quality crib mattresses and accessories. The company has been an industry pioneer, being the first to manufacture polyurethane mattresses, foam crib mattresses and dual-firmness mattresses from its home base in Atlanta, Georgia.

“We’ve been a part of the Atlanta community for 65 years,” Wolkin said. “Through our mask-making efforts, we’re honored to give back to the community that has given us so much in a small way. “

For more information about Colgate Mattress, visit ColgateKids.com.

About Colgate Mattress

Founded in 1955, Colgate Mattress is a third-generation family-owned business with a 65-year heritage of manufacturing premium crib mattresses. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company creates the largest selection of foam and innerspring crib mattresses, foam mattress pads and crib accessories. Colgate products are GREENGUARD™ Gold certified, nontoxic and made in the USA using only the finest internal components available. Colgate Mattress is proud to be among the first members of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), an organization dedicated to enhancing child product safety. Among many other industry recognitions, Colgate Mattress was named a 2018 JPMA Innovation Award Winner and recently received the 2019 Baby & Children’s Product News Readers Favorite Award, 2019 Eco Excellence Award and 2019 Cribsie New Arrival Award.

Maybe they grew up together in Atlanta or were classmates at the Westminster Schools. For others, they met the avid Bulldog in Athens as students at the University of Georgia. Some worked alongside the businessman at Shepherd Construction and Plant Improvement. Others might have fallen for one of his notorious pranks, a sure sign he considered you a friend.

But for many people, the story of how they met James began with his life-changing spinal cord injury in 1973. James, along with his parents Alana and the late Harold Shepherd, and David Apple, M.D., founded Shepherd Center after James sustained a paralyzing spinal cord injury in 1973. James completed spinal cord injury rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Denver, where five months later he walked out with a brace and a crutch.

For some, that would have been enough. But for James and his family, it wasn’t. They wanted others to have access to state-of-the-art rehabilitation care in the southeastern United States, so they galvanized support among the Atlanta community to open Shepherd Center. It quickly became clear that James was never going to let his injury get in the way of him doing something he wanted to do – and he never did. Together with his family, he turned his tragedy into a lifelong passion.

On December 21, 2019, James H. Shepherd, Jr. died as he lived – a good-humored and loyal father, grandfather, son and friend, a devoted Georgia Bulldog, an advocate and a visionary.

Son, Father, Grandfather and Friend
James had a profound love and trust for his family that was visible in almost every area of his life. One of his greatest joys had been raising his children and having them officially join Shepherd Center’s mission – son Jamie as chief operating officer and daughter Julie as a case management team leader. James was also the doting grandfather to four and took every chance to talk about his grandchildren.

“James felt great pride in founding such an incredible organization with his family,” says Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “He felt immense love and absolute pride for his children, Jamie and Julie, knowing they will lead the next generation of Shepherd Center to even greater heights.”

Nearly every day until his passing, James could be found in Shepherd Center’s cafeteria having lunch with his family – a time he used to connect with them, but also to connect with patients and their families. He knew how important family is to the rehabilitation process and aimed to make Shepherd Center a place where patients and families alike felt supported and welcomed.

“I’m so grateful to James’ tight-knit family for sharing him with so many,” says Kathy Slonaker, BS, RN, CRRN, an admissions triage nurse at Shepherd Center and long-time friend. “A colleague once remarked that James had the biggest family in the world because he made everyone feel like family.” James was also known as a quick-witted friend with a penchant for well-timed jokes.

“I always knew that he was going to have a good joke in every meeting,” says Susan Hawkins, chair of Shepherd Center’s Board of Trustees. “I knew I was not going to leave without him saying something that made me laugh.”

Fred Alias is a long-time friend of James’ and a member of Shepherd Center’s Board of Directors.

“I have known James my entire adult life, and the thing I liked the most was his smile,” Alias says. “It was always a little devilish on one side and angelic on the other.”

James never outgrew his love of a good prank, especially if it fell on April Fool’s Day.

“He had a great sense of humor and fiery wit,” Morrison says. “James loved to punk people. We all knew what a prankster he was, yet that never stopped many of us from falling for his pranks. Despite this, James had an intense respect for the staff. He was our champion – probably in many ways you would never realize.”

A Damn Good Dawg
James made no secret of his love for the Georgia Bulldogs. A 1973 graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, James was the ultimate UGA fan and evangelist, both for the school and its athletic program. After a beautiful fall football weekend, James would often greet colleagues, patients and families with, “So, what’d you think about that game this weekend?”

“His love of UGA was enormous, and he gave so much of his time and talents to the business school and the athletic department,” Slonaker says. “He touched so many lives of students and student-athletes, including those UGA students and staff members who became patients here at Shepherd Center.”

His commitment to his alma mater did not end upon his graduation but rather strengthened through the years as both of his children graduated from the school. James returned to UGA several times to speak to students and even established a scholarship for first-generation college students.

“The University of Georgia is deeply honored to call James Shepherd an alumnus,” says Jere Morehead, president of the University of Georgia. “He lived a life of profound impact and inspiration, making his alma mater very proud at every turn. His legacy of hope and healing will continue to teach and lift up the Bulldog Nation long into the future.”

One of the honors James was proudest of was receiving an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Georgia, a recognition made even more special because he received it alongside his parents. In addition to receiving the honorary doctorate at the spring 2011 commencement ceremony, James also gave the commencement speech, during which he said: “The story of our lives is not what happens to us, it’s what we do about it.”

An Advocate
While James and his family created a haven for people in need of neurorehabilitation at Shepherd Center, that was only part of their mission. James also aimed to create a world outside Shepherd Center’s walls that was more thoughtful and inclusive of people with disabilities. He regularly communicated with community leaders, legislators and the news media to increase public awareness. He also toured groups through Shepherd Center, spoke to community organizations, and made advocates and supporters of the many people he reached.

In Atlanta and beyond, he actively served on numerous boards and committees to further education and research to benefit people with disabilities. He served as director of the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation, on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Rehabilitation Technology, the Governor’s Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Trust Fund Authority and as a board member of Initiative 2000 (a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act). He also served as a delegate for the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals, as well as on the Steering Committee for the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, which led the Interfaith Conference on Disability Awareness. He was an active volunteer in the community, having volunteered on the accessibility advisory committees of MARTA, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

“James was committed to doing everything in his power to rebuild the lives of the people in our care, both inside Shepherd Center and out in the world,” Morrison says. “There wasn’t a day that went by that you could not feel and see his influence.”

A Visionary
In 1975, just two years after James sustained a spinal cord injury, Shepherd Center began as a six-bed unit operating out of leased space in an Atlanta hospital. James was able to leverage the business savvy and connections he’d honed working alongside his family at Shepherd Construction and Plant Improvement with the passion he felt to help people reclaim their lives after illness or injury.

“James was a forward thinker – always with the staff, patients and their families in mind,” says David Apple, M.D., medical director emeritus and Shepherd Center co-founder. “James had a sense of humor, which endeared him to staff and friends. James was the epitome of one who turned tragedy into triumph.”

Today, Shepherd Center is a state-of-the-art facility with 152 beds, including a 10-bed intensive care unit.

“James saw Shepherd Center with a 360-degree vision from the perspective of the patient, the medical and rehabilitation professionals, those providing care, encouragement and support, as well as those receiving care, encouragement and support,” says James D. Thompson, vice president of Shepherd Center’s Board of Directors. “His experience allowed him to understand Shepherd Center from the perspective of rehabilitation, operations, regulatory, finance, charitable giving, as well as community and governmental relations. James’ legacy is wide and deep.”

As chairman of the Board of Directors of Shepherd Center for nearly 45 years, James led the hospital to become the pre-eminent center of excellence for care and research for patients and families experiencing spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions. “James devoted his life to ensuring Shepherd Center’s teams could take the so-called impossible cases and help people put their lives back together,” Morrison says. “Thanks to him, thousands of patients and families have found a pathway to independence, hope and dignity.”

While James certainly had the strategic vision to build Shepherd Center into a thriving organization, perhaps where he excelled most was in creating the culture that Shepherd Center is known for – one of hope, hard work and humor.

“One of the biggest parts of James’ legacy is the culture he helped build,” Hawkins says. “We foster hope instead of despair, and we believe in helping everyone live a life of purpose. It’s who we are and how we live.”

Before his passing, James was instrumental in launching Vision 2025 which was composed of touchstones for Shepherd Center to accomplish by 2025, the year of its 50th anniversary.

“With James’ leadership, patients and families have remained our true north as we plan for the future,” Morrison says. “He was incredibly excited to see Vision 2025 come to fruition. Achieving our goals of expanding patient access to all services, inspiring transformation through innovation and delivering a world-class experience for all patients and families is the best way we can both honor and carry on his legacy.”

In its nearly 45 years, it is estimated that Shepherd Center has changed the lives of nearly 30,000 patients – all because James had the strength to turn his life-altering injury into a bridge from I can’t to I can. Simply put, I realize I would not be here if James had not had his accident, explains Sally Nunnally, a long-time friend, member of the Board of Directors and early patient of Shepherd Center. “And there are thousands more like me who can say the same thing. If he had not had his accident and reacted the way he did, thousands of people’s lives would be very different. James paved the way.”

Written by Kerry Ludlam

Telehealth visits will make it possible for medical providers and patients alike to virtually see and hear each other, providing better interaction and enhancing care.

“We believe it is important to facilitate federal guidelines encouraging our patients to stay home during this time of heightened risk,” said Angela Beninga, D.O., chief medical informatics officer. “To continue to provide that special Shepherd Center touch, our team has worked with Atlanta-based telehealth provider ExamMed to allow our patients face-to-face access to their medical providers during the pandemic.”

Using ExamMed’s HIPAA-compliant platform, Shepherd Center’s outpatient medical providers can continue to serve current outpatients while most of the hospital’s outpatient services are closed to minimize exposure to and spread of the virus.

“For months before the pandemic, Shepherd Center had been working to launch telehealth service so we could extend the excellent outpatient care we have been providing in the hospital for decades,” said Chet Bhasin, FACHE, MBA, MS, chief strategy officer for Shepherd Center. “The pandemic, coupled with recent regulatory changes, allowed us to accelerate our launch of the service. Telehealth will provide our patients – many of whom have mobility challenges – with an option to receive care remotely, making it more convenient and accessible.”

This week, Shepherd Center outpatient clinical staff members began calling outpatients who are currently scheduled for telephone visits with their Shepherd providers. Clinical staff members are offering the telehealth option to patients who have an email address and their own computer with a camera and speakers (built-in or external), or a smartphone or tablet computer with a built-in camera. The telehealth system will work on most types of mobile devices. ExamMed also offers a free mobile app – available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play for Android – for telehealth visits via a smartphone or tablet.

If a patient chooses the telehealth option for the visit with their Shepherd Center medical or psychology provider, they will receive an email from ExamMed. It will contain a link the patient will use to launch the telehealth visit on the scheduled date and time. If a patient prefers to keep their telephone visit instead of switching to telehealth, they will be allowed to do so during the pandemic.

This new telehealth program will continue throughout the pandemic. In the future, Shepherd Center plans to expand telehealth to additional programs.

If you have questions, you may call 404-425-7234 and leave a message. We will respond to you as soon as possible.

The American Hospital Association estimates that throughout the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, 960,000 patients will require intubation and the use of a ventilator. These lifesaving pieces of equipment will help thousands of patients breathe. Being intubated involves a tube passing between the vocal cords into the windpipe; therefore, it can make it very difficult for patients to communicate verbally.

For decades at Shepherd Center, we have been caring for patients with spinal cord and brain injury who are unable to speak due to intubation, vocal cord paralysis, tracheal stenosis and other conditions. They all have this in common – the desire to communicate. The inability for a patient to communicate can add extra stress to a patient who is already in crisis mode. In fact, several studies have reported that a patient's inability to communicate can cause or further exacerbate feelings of psychological and emotional distress, anxiety, panic, fear, frustration and helplessness. Looking at it another way, a patient's ability to communicate when intubated also can decrease complications stemming from a lack of communication with members of their healthcare team.

With the rate of intubation on the rise due to COVID-19, I have received several requests from healthcare providers and peers around the country asking for advice and resources on how to help hospitalized patients with limited ability to speak. Here are my suggestions for helping people with COVID-19 find their voices.

Keep it Simple – While we all love our high-tech communication tools, sometimes simpler is better. If a patient is intubated and unable to speak, but is still able to use his or her hands, try to communicate with pen and paper. You can also use a whiteboard and dry erase markers. A Boogie Board LCD writing tablet is also a good option if you have access to one. Of course, make sure to disinfect anything you use to communicate.

Use Yes and No – Establish a sound system of “yes” and “no” based on the patient’s capabilities. This can be as simple as thumbs up for “yes” and thumbs down for “no.” Other options are to nod your head up and down for “yes” and side to side for “no” or blink once for “yes” and twice for “no.”Then, ask targeted questions to investigate what the patient may need. Always confirm that what you think the patient is saying is correct. Make a note in the patient’s record or in the patient’s room of what their “yes” and “no” system is so that other providers can use it as well. Once you establish your yes and no system, communication will become much more manageable.

Communicate with a Board – Try using a communication board. These boards can simply say “yes” or “no,” or they can include various words such as “pain,” “thirsty,” “I’m cold,” or “What is that medication?” To use one, you'll want to:

• Print out and laminate the communication board.
• Establish a reliable “yes” and “no” system with the patient.
• Place the board so that it is visible to the patient.
• If the patient can point, have them point at what they’re trying to say on the board.
• If they cannot use their hands to point, point to each row in order and ask: “Is it in this row?” or say “Row 1,” “Row 2,” etc.
• Once the patient makes a row selection, point to each successive box in the row and ask, “Is it this one?” or read the text in each box.
• Be sure to modify your speed according to the individual patient’s needs.
• Disinfect the board.

Test Technology – There are dozens of mobile apps available to help with non-verbal communication, including Vocable, which tracks head movements to facilitate communication. There are also apps that will act as a whiteboard. When there is time for training on both the patient and provider side, these apps can be invaluable. But in a time when hospitals and care providers are likely overburdened, simpler might be better. Also, keep in mind that in many healthcare facilities, Wi-Fi coverage may be spotty, which makes many apps and online tools difficult and frustrating to use. If this is the case, see above and keep it simple.

During these unprecedented times, I understand that there may be no time to use some of these tools. If that’s the case, I recommend simply using the whiteboard or writing the alphabet on a piece of paper.

For additional information regarding communication strategies for hospitalized patients with limited ability to speak, please visit these resources:

• Patientprovidercommunication.org
• COVID-19 Communication Board
• Partner Assisted Communication Video
• Vocable App

For more information, you can contact me at adina.bradshaw@shepherd.org.

ADINA BRADSHAW, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP, is a speech-language pathologist in the Assistive Technology Center at Shepherd Center. She has worked at Shepherd Center for more than a decade. She has a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology and a master’s degree in speech pathology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Bradshaw also has a teaching certificate, multiple state speech pathology board certifications, ASHA certification and RESNA assistive technology certification.

For the General Population

• Stay informed, but take breaks from watching, reading or listening to news that causes you to feel anxious or distressed. Seek information from trusted sources to take practical steps to prepare your plans and protect yourself and your loved ones. Facts can help minimize fear. Set aside specific times once or twice during the day to seek out news, rather than consuming a constant stream of information.
• Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
• Make time to unwind. Try to do some activities you enjoy, such as reading or talking to loved ones by phone and/or video chat.
• Protect yourself and be supportive to others. Check-in by phone on neighbors or people in your community who may need some extra assistance. Working together as one community can help create solidarity.

For Children and Teens

• Take time to talk with your child or teen about COVID-19. Answer questions in a way that your child or teen can understand.
• Let your child or teen know it is OK if they feel upset. Share with them how you deal with your own stress so they can learn from you about how to cope.
• Try to keep up with regular routines. Because schools are closed, create a schedule for learning activities and relaxing or fun activities.
• Be a role model. Take breaks, get plenty of sleep, exercise and eat well. Connect with your friends and family members by phone, video chat, email or social media.

For Healthcare Workers

• Stay rested and eat well. We know it’s easier said than done, but try to get sufficient rest between shifts, eat healthy food and engage in physical activity when you can.
• Stay connected with your loved ones. Maintain contact with family and friends through digital methods. Turn to your colleagues, managers and other trusted people for social support.
• Ensure good quality communication and accurate information updates are provided to all staff. Rotate workers from higher-stress to lower-stress functions. Partner inexperienced workers with their more experienced colleagues. The buddy system helps to provide support, monitor stress and reinforce safety procedures.

For more tips and information, visit the CDC and WHO websites.

For most of us, the last few weeks have been unlike any other period in our lives. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has challenged all of us to change the way we operate, and Shepherd Center is no different. In a time of rapid change and constantly breaking news, we remain guided by our concern for the health and wellbeing of our patients, their caregivers, our staff and community. With that in mind, I'd like to share with you the many ways we're working to keep them – and you – safe.

Our team has planned for the impact of COVID-19 on all business operations. We have assessed staffing and prepared for absences so that our patients continue to receive the care they need and deserve. We have been and will continue to screen all of our patients, families, visitors and staff for illness so that we can help keep those both inside and outside our doors healthy. We made the difficult choice to limit visitation in our inpatient units and day program gym to lower risk of transmission from outside of the hospital and are working with patients and families to provide options for communicating electronically.

For our outpatients, though most clinics are closed, we're using telemedicine when at all possible so that there is as little disruption to care as possible. Our Apothecary has also started offering a drive-up service so that patients can continue to get their medications. It's not exactly business as usual, but I have been heartened by how our team has come together even more so than usual under challenging circumstances.

We have developed a plan so that our staff can continue to work despite closing most outpatient clinics/single-service therapy visits. We are cross-training employees, as well as developing new and different ways of functioning to adjust to our new environment. We are allowing more flexible work arrangements, when possible, including working remotely, flexible work hours, increasing teleconferencing and using other tools to minimize employee, patient, family and visitor exposure.

We continue to provide information that is relevant and timely to our patients, families and staff through our social media channels and at shepherd.org/COVID19 We know our patients have specific concerns about how COVID-19 will affect their health, so we launched an e-mail address and phone number for patients to use to get their questions answered by a Shepherd Center staff member. If you have general inquiries related to Shepherd Center's actions related to coronavirus, you may send an email to COVID19@shepherd.org or leave a message at 404-350-7662. We will respond as quickly as possible.

These are unprecedented times that will require all of us to be even more caring, thoughtful, diligent, nimble and resilient. Please take care of yourself and others.

SARAH A. MORRISON, PT, MBA, MHA, is president and CEO of Shepherd Center. She joined Shepherd Center in 1984. Morrison has served in various leadership roles at Shepherd Center, including vice president of clinical services, director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program, director of the medical/surgical and ICU programs, manager of the spinal cord injury day program, a physical therapy supervisor and a physical therapist.

• As a best practice, you should have at least 30 days of supplies and medications on hand at all times, but especially during times when travel and social interaction is restricted.
   
• Keep a list of all of your necessary medications and supplies, and make sure a caregiver and/or family member also has access to your list should they need to do the ordering for you.
   
• Check with your medical supply vendor now regarding the availability and expected delivery dates for the items you need on hand to manage your health for the next 30 days.
   
• Many items require a medical provider’s order, which should be written for a 30-day supply or more when permitted.

• Because many items are made outside the U.S., there may be delays related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
   
• Request refills of your medications from your pharmacy with plenty of time before your prescription runs out. Some pharmacies may be able to provide you with an early refill if you are not yet due for one. Some insurance companies have waived restrictions on how much of a medication an individual can get at a time.
   
• For Atlanta area customers, the Shepherd Apothecary, located inside Shepherd Center, is open during its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Given the current visitor restrictions at Shepherd Center, customers will be screened at the entrance. Alternatively, customers may call the Apothecary at 404-350-7743 to pay for their prescription medications by credit card. They can let the Apothecary staff know when they will arrive at the hospital’s front circle driveway by the Terry Lee statue. Then, an Apothecary staff member will deliver the prescription to the customer’s car. Another option for some customers is to have the Apothecary ship medications via UPS. Normal delivery is two to three days, but shipments could be delayed.
   
• Follow proper cleaning protocol for all supplies and equipment to lengthen their period of usefulness and to prevent infection.

Laura O’Pry, RN, BSN, CCM, CRRN, is the Transition Support Program Manager at Shepherd Center. She leads a team of healthcare professionals who help prevent patient rehospitalization, improve health and safety outcomes, and promote patient and family autonomy once a patient is discharged from Shepherd Center. Learn more here.

As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) public health issue evolves, Shepherd Center is going to err on the side of communicating updated information to you quickly, so please anticipate updates and/or changes regularly. We will issue updates via social media (see facebook.com/shepherdcenter), our website at shepherd.org/covid19 and our other communication channels as more information becomes available.

As part of our commitment to enhancing the safety of our patients, families and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made several indefinite operational and policy changes, including restricting access to the hospital and our off-campus facilities.

We recognize that these restrictions take away from the usual Shepherd Center experience. We don’t make these decisions lightly, but we do make them for everyone's safety, particularly for our patients, who are at higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and understanding. For complete updates, be a regular visitor to shepherd.org/COVID19.

• If you have a fever, cough or shortness of breath, please do not come to Shepherd Center for the safety of our patients, families and staff.
   
• Starting Monday, March 16, the only entrances to Shepherd Center’s main campus buildings that will be open are from the parking decks and the Marcus-Woodruff Building front entrance next to our coffee kiosk.
   
• ProMotion Gym, including the pool, and Beyond Therapy are closed to everyone except inpatient units indefinitely starting Monday, March 16.
   
• The cafeteria will be open, but seating will be limited. Takeout meals from our cafeteria will be encouraged.
   
• Effective Monday, March 16, we are restricting visitors in our main campus inpatient units and day program gym to two designated, pre-approved visitors per patient.
   
• Patients with appointments in our outpatient clinics and programs will be contacted 24 to 48 hours in advance of their appointment to be pre-screened for COVID-19 before their appointment. They will receive additional information at that time.
   
• If at all possible, we ask that caregivers of outpatients remain in their cars in the parking deck or lot – or drop off their patient and return for pickup – during the outpatient's visit. Caregivers who need to enter will be screened at the entryway checkpoints before entering.
   
• Only pre-approved, essential vendors and visitors meeting with a staff member will be allowed to enter. You will be required to show proof of pre-approval and a picture ID. Without proof of pre-approval, you will have to call the staff member to come escort you into the building.
   
• Anyone who has been a cruise ship passenger in the past 30 days is not permitted to enter any of our facilities.
   
• People picking up prescriptions at Shepherd Apothecary will be screened at the checkpoints before entering.

RECOMMENDATIONS

We encourage everyone to take preventive steps to stop the spread of COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid exposure to this virus. However, the CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help mitigate the spread of respiratory diseases, including:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
   
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
   
• Stay home during this time if you can, but especially if you are sick, for your health and the safety of others.
   
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in the trash.
   
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
   
• Follow the CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
   
• The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
   
  • Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for healthcare workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a healthcare facility).
     
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
   
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.

We know this is a time that may cause psychological distress. If you are a current inpatient, please talk to your Shepherd Center psychologist. If you are an outpatient, contact your Shepherd Center provider directly or send us a message via COVID19@shepherd.org or leave a message at 404-350-7662. We will respond as quickly as possible. Should you need to talk to a crisis counselor immediately, you may call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

These are trying circumstances for patients, families and staff. As always, we are trying to make the healthiest, safest decisions for our community.

MICHAEL YOCHELSON, M.D., MBA, is the chief medical officer at Shepherd Center. He is a board-certified neurologist and physiatrist who has also served in an academic capacity as a professor and vice chair of clinical affairs in the department of rehabilitation medicine and professor of clinical neurology at Georgetown University.

To listen to the entire Shepherd Center Radio Podcast, download the podcast as an audio file above, or access it at shepherd.org/radio.

Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome. This is Shepherd Center Radio. I’m Melanie Cole. And today, we’re discussing the Coronavirus. Joining me is Dr. Michael Yochelson, he’s the Chief Medical Officer at Shepherd Center and Dr. Jesse Couk. He’s an Infectious Disease Consulting Physician at Shepherd Center. Dr. Couk, I’d like to start with you. Tell us what is the 2019 Novel Coronavirus? What does Novel mean? What is this Coronavirus and how did it start really in Wuhan, China?

Jesse Couk, MD (Guest): Coronaviruses cause infection in people. Typical Coronavirus will just cause mild symptoms like the common cold. However, there are Coronaviruses in animals and when those viruses are transmitted to humans, they can cause severe disease. And the Coronavirus that we first saw in China, we are now calling COVID-19 appears to be one of these viruses. We initially discovered it in Wuhan China. Patients were becoming particularly ill and developing pneumonia. And that’s what’s different about this virus from most Coronaviruses is that it can cause severe disease with pneumonia making patients very ill and requiring hospitalization. It has similarities to SARS which caused an outbreak in 2003. It does not appear to be as fatal as SARS with mortality rates about 1 to 3%.

Host: Well thank you for that explanation. Dr. Yochelson, there have been a number of deaths and as Dr. Couk just said, maybe not as many as SARS but there have been some deaths among people who are young and as far as we know, otherwise healthy. Does this reframe who we think is at risk? I’d like you to speak about the risk factors. Are some people more at risk and especially there at Shepherd Center, are people with spinal cord or brain injuries or MS more susceptible to this virus?

Michael Yochelson, MD, MBA (Guest): Yes, so certainly in those specific patient populations that you asked about and the ones that we treat here at Shepherd Center like multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and brain injury; it is likely that there is some increased susceptibility or at least that if they were to develop it, that they may have a more severe illness. In general, it seems to be that with COVID-19, it is the patients who have some other immune system diseases or illnesses or other medical problems, the elder population tends to be getting more severe injury and higher rates of mortality. Although it certainly is affecting some younger people as well.

The challenge that we have particularly with multiple sclerosis is often they are on medications that may cause some immunosuppression and in brain injury and spinal cord injury population, particularly spinal cord; if they already have underlying respiratory disease; they are more likely to have a very severe case if they do develop it. So, they need to make sure they are taking every precaution to avoid getting it.

Host: What about if they use a ventilator Dr. Yochelson? Are there any special precautions you’d like them to know about that?

Dr. Yochelson: So, there aren’t really any special precautions for someone on a ventilator other than they should certainly use every precaution that we possibly can and again, these are precautions to getting the disease in the first place. So, it is a respiratory disease so avoiding respiratory contact. If somebody, if they have a known person with the Coronavirus; they certainly should not be around that person, travel to areas where it has been noted to be more prevalent and then washing hands is probably the most important thing that anybody can do. Because the droplets, the respiratory droplets, if somebody coughs or sneezes, can then get on surfaces which then the virus can live for a period of time. And then the person can touch a surface, their wheelchair, a table, a door handle and then they touch their own face and that’s one way that it can be spread. So, really just taking every possible precaution to avoid getting the disease in the first place.

Host: Before I move on to Dr. Couk, for some more of those precautions, Dr. Yochelson many people with brain and spinal cord injuries have caregivers. What if the caregiver gets sick? What would you like them to know about that interaction with the person that they are caregiving for?

Dr. Yochelson: I would strongly suggest that they make plans to have a backup caregiver and if their caregiver is sick, their caregiver should not be taking care of them during that period. One of the challenges, of course, is that they can be infectious slightly before they become symptomatic. But their highest period of being contagious is when they are most seriously ill. And this is true not just with Coronavirus, with anything. Even with the flu. Which is going around a lot right now. It’s so important for these patients not to get the Coronavirus or the flu or any other illness and so, it’s best if they can just avoid using that caregiver. If that is not possible at all, and particularly if their caregiver is a family member or household member; using a face mask for the caregiver so that they are not spreading the virus as they cough or sneeze and again, both the caregiver and the patient using precautions such as the handwashing or the sanitizing gel.

Host: Dr. Couk, tell us how it really spreads. We are hearing about hand washing. We’re seeing people wearing masks. Does it live on surfaces? How far away do you have to be? You are an infectious disease specialist, tell us a little bit about how it spreads.

Dr. Couk: Yeah so, COVID-19 is spread by droplets. So, when somebody coughs, for example, those droplets can get on to people and surfaces and then if they are inhaled, those droplets are inhaled or if somebody touches an infected surface and then touches their face or eats food without washing their hands; then they can potentially infect themselves. That’s primarily how it spreads. It’s not airborne. It’s not like measles where you can walk into a room after someone was in that room and get infected. You need to be exposed to the droplets from an infected individual to get this disease.

Host: Well I’m so glad you cleared that up for people because that’s been the big fear and Dr. Yochelson, when we’re thinking of preparing and precautions, especially for people with brain and spinal cord injury; can you please address the need for medication supply, the need you already addressed the need for caregiving. Tell us a little bit about other things you want to make sure that you have on hand.

Dr. Yochelson: Well, I would certainly suggest that you have on hand as much as possible of any cleaning supplies, personal toiletries, things like that, toilet paper in your home, partially because if you have a caregiver who gets sick and you can’t get out to the store or if this becomes more prevalent in the community and you don’t want to risk going out of your home; you want to make sure that you have whatever you need in the home. So, again, personal items, cleaning items, and then from a food supply standpoint; obviously keeping as much as you can, nonperishables in the house so that you can go longer periods of time without having to go to the store. In terms of medications, there is concern and we are already beginning to see this at a very low level, but there is concern that there may be some issues with medication supplies. Because so many of them are made in China and other areas that may become impacted and therefore can’t produce at the same volumes as we need. And so we begin to have a supply issue. So, it’s not only their ability to get out to get their medications but also potentially the availability of the medications themselves.

Host: Dr. Couk, if somebody does have a cough or they start to feel sick; everyone wants to know, should they run off to the doctor. Should they go to the emergency room? Are there enough test kits available? Tell us a little bit about what we should do if we feel sick and where’s the best source of information that you would tell us to get the latest updates?

Dr. Couk: To begin with, with there to find information, both the CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Health have great websites and I definitely strongly recommend using those resources. I think when you use the internet, it is easy to find misinformation and so if you use those resources, you’ll get not only will you get accurate information, but up to date information as well.

Symptoms of COVID 19 include fever, cough and fatigue. Those are the most common symptoms. Severe disease is characterized by pneumonia and you would see that with shortness of breath, and then some people have reported muscle aches, headache, sore throat and chills. And those symptoms are similar to other respiratory viruses, the common one being flu. And for most patients, who get the flu, it is recommended to stay home. Don’t go out into the public. But if you are concerned, if you feel particularly ill, then I would definitely recommend calling your doctor and for our patients at Shepherd Center, where something like the flu can be a risk to their health; then I do recommend calling your doctor if you have any of the signs of the flu. Regardless of whether you are worried about Coronavirus or not.

Host: Dr. Yochelson, as the Chief Medical Officer at Shepherd Center; tell us what Shepherd Center is doing to help reduce the spread of this and flu and other viruses. What are they doing when interacting with those infected, doing to protect other patients and providers?

Dr. Yochelson: So, we are currently screening all patients who are coming in for outpatient visits. We are screening them for travel as well as any symptoms of the flu or Coronavirus. Anybody who has traveled in any of the areas that the CDC is listing as a level two or level three alert for Coronavirus within 14 days of travel. We are not allowing them to come into the hospital. If they have symptoms, or if they have contact with someone who has traveled in one of those areas; we’re not allowing them to come in. If it is somebody who has to come in for medical reasons, we can’t delay their appointment because they have a procedure or need to come in for medical reasons; of course, we will make an exception and allow them in, if it is the flu. Coronavirus is different. But if it’s the flu, but we still need to be notified and we will take appropriate precautions with protective equipment, PPE such as masks, gloves and gowns and make sure that we get them right back into an exam room so that we are not spreading the flu to others in the area.

We are also limiting visitation to – for our inpatients to immediate family members and caregivers and we are also limiting some of the outside activities because we at Shepherd Center do bring in a lot of people for various activities here at the Center, so we are limiting that. Those that we can’t cancel, we’re screening everybody in advance of coming in using the same criteria. Although for anyone coming in, who is not a patient; we are actually expanding to any international travel, not just the high-risk countries only because we know if they’ve been recently flying on an airplane; you never know who you are sitting next to and who may be sick or who you have been exposed to.

Host: Dr. Couk, last question to you. Tell us what you’d like us to know about this Coronavirus, it’s a little confusing, a little mysterious, a little scary, but clear it up for us. Tell us your best advice and what you’d like us to know as an Infectious Disease Specialist about Coronavirus, things we can do to protect ourselves from possibly getting sick.

Dr. Couk: Most people are not going to get Coronavirus. And I really want to underscore that. And most people who get Coronavirus are not going to get severely ill. About 80% of patients, they get this virus and they get over it. And they don’t have to go to the hospital. I think that it’s important to realize that and remember that when we get concerned or scared about this virus. The measure that we take to try to prevent ourselves from becoming ill are the same measures we should be taking every year during flu season. So, things like washing our hands, trying not to touch our face, trying not to touch our eyes. We probably should not be shaking hands and that’s something that I’m trying to get out of the practice of doing. It can be uncomfortable for those of us who are used to it but it really that’s an effective way to spread germs and we don’t want to be spreading germs especially during cold and flu season and particularly while we are worried about this virus.

So, again, to reiterate, you are most likely not going to get Coronavirus and if you do get it, you are most likely not going to be severely ill from it.

Host: And Dr. Yochelson, do you have any final thoughts for us?

Dr. Yochelson: Well I agree with Dr. Couk. Certainly, the best thing we can possibly be doing is just overall prevention and that’s really the same whether we are talking about the flu or the Coronavirus. The one thing that I would add to that although I agree with Dr. Couk, it’s highly unlikely that any individual is going to get Coronavirus, but if you do think that you are at risk for it because of your travel or contact history as well as fever and respiratory symptoms; before just going to the emergency room, I would advise you to call the emergency room and let them know that you are coming so that they can be prepared. Because the last thing we need is for somebody who does have Coronavirus to walk into a waiting room and spread it to other people in the emergency department.

Host: Well that’s great advice. Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming on and discussing this with us and sharing your expertise. It’s so important for people to hear this really good quality information. That concludes this episode of Shepherd Center Radio. Please visit our website at www.shepherd.org for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. Please remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other Shepherd Center podcasts. I’m Melanie Cole.

Alana succeeds her son, James H. Shepherd, Jr., who served as the Chairman of the Board for 44 years until his passing in December 2019. Having Alana as Chair of the Board ensures that Shepherd Center will continue to thrive in today’s complex healthcare environment, said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center.

“As one of our co-founders and a true visionary, Alana is uniquely suited to lead the Shepherd Center Board of Directors,” Morrison said. “We are thrilled that she agreed to continue her steadfast commitment to ensuring that Shepherd Center remains the bridge from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’ for our patients and their families.”

Shepherd Center started as one family’s vision, and its strong legacy is now carried forward by a team of thinkers, innovators, leaders and clinicians who collaborate to produce the nation’s best neurorehabilitation outcomes for patients, Morrison said. In fact, Shepherd Center’s leaders had the foresight more than a decade ago to ensure excellence by creating a robust succession plan for Shepherd Center – a critical effort for every successful enterprise. The plan ensures that the hospital’s commitment to a culture of excellence and a comprehensive continuum of care remains the cornerstone of every effort.

Succession Plan Efforts To Date

Shepherd Center has carefully deliberated and executed plans to ensure the succession of its leadership and the future of its operations and fundraising, Morrison said.

Since 2014, Shepherd Center has successfully completed transitions for eight key senior leadership roles. They are the appointments of:

• Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, to president and CEO in 2017 after the retirement of Gary Ulicny, Ph.D., who served 23 years in the role.
• Michael Yochelson, M.D., MBA, as chief medical officer in 2017.
• Jamie Shepherd, MBA, MHA, to chief operating officer in 2019.
• Chet Bhasin, FACHE, MBA, MS, to chief strategy officer in 2019.
• Brian Barnette, CHCIO, CPHIMS, PMP to vice president and chief information officer in 2016.
• Katie Metzger, OTR, MBA, to director of brain injury services in 2019, after the retirement of Susan Johnson, MA, CCC-SLP, after more than 21 years in the role.
• Sarah Batts, MBA, to executive director of the Shepherd Center Foundation in 2016.
• Lorie Hutcheson to vice president of human resources in 2014, after the retirement of Betsy Fox after 23 years.

“We have been strategic and intentional in building a strong and dynamic leadership team,” Morrison said. “This next generation of leaders will continue to build upon our strong foundation and ensure Shepherd Center’s future for generations to come.”

Another milestone was the Board of Directors’ decision more than 15 years ago to establish the Shepherd Center Foundation and Board of Trustees to ensure philanthropic sustainability, Morrison noted. Since that time, support has increased by 250%. The Foundation also launched a successful next-generation engagement plan to ensure a thriving pipeline of philanthropic support. Today, the Foundation is building a network of national donors to ensure long-term philanthropic sustainability.

Shepherd Center History

Alana, her husband, Harold, as well as James and David Apple, M.D., co-founded Shepherd Center after James sustained a paralyzing spinal cord injury in 1973. Frustrated by the lack of state-of-the-art rehabilitation care in the southeastern United States, the family galvanized support among the Atlanta community to open a facility to provide specialized care for people with spinal cord injuries.

In 1975, Shepherd Center began as a six-bed unit operating out of leased space in an Atlanta hospital. It has grown exponentially in its 45 years from a six-bed rehabilitation unit to a world-renowned, 152-bed hospital that specializes in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions.

“Throughout its history, Shepherd Center has always maintained its original goals – to provide a patient- and family-centered approach to rehabilitation while encouraging patients to look beyond their injuries and embrace the possibilities ahead,” Morrison said.

Shepherd Center is playing a pioneering role in advancing such innovative mobile solutions through its App Factory – a tech development initiative that brings together rehabilitative medicine experts and app developers with the intended user – people living with disabilities – at the center of all efforts.

“With the advent of the iPhone and other smart devices that followed, we now have platforms to support mobile apps, and it’s opened tremendous opportunities for our patients,” says Mike Jones, Ph.D., vice president of clinical research and assistive technology at Shepherd Center. “But amid the explosive growth of mobile healthcare apps, technologies must evolve and/or be adapted so that people with disabilities can use them.”

To date, more than 35 apps have emerged from the program with more than 850,000 downloads. Early efforts by Dr. Jones and his team have focused on developing app-based technologies to make specific mobile or wearable devices more useable and accessible to a person with a disability or limited dexterity.

The success of Shepherd Center’s App Factory has garnered national attention and was recently awarded a five-year $2.375 million grant from the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant will allow the App Factory to develop, test and deploy several mobile health apps per year that target high-priority needs based on patient feedback and surveys. The goal is to create apps that can meaningfully help users better manage their health, improve function and quality of life. The hope, too, is that through the App Factory model, which typically doesn’t award funds until the app is available to the public, will generate some healthy competition among leading mobile app developers to assure their technology stays current.

“With the App Factory, we’ve opened it up to the whole market of app developers in the United States and Canada – academic centers, but also private businesses and tech start-ups, too,” Dr. Jones says. “They first must validate their idea and how their particular solution might work, conduct extensive user testing to demonstrate that it works and then publish it in the App Store or Android marketplace to demonstrate efficacy – that people have downloaded the app, are using it and that it’s meeting their needs.”

There will also be a central website with information about curated apps that are suitable for people with disabilities, as well as publications documenting the effectiveness of select mobile healthcare apps in improving functional outcomes.

Tracey Wallace, MS, CCC-SLP, project director of the App Factory and a speech pathologist at Shepherd Center, led the development of the BreatheWell Wear app, an Android Wear smartwatch app that provides discrete visual, tactile and auditory guidance to pace breathing for stress management, including showing users their heart rate in real time.

Thanks to user input into the design, the app allows users to play their own calming music, set multiple reminders to practice breathing and view a progress tracking screen that allows them to set a goal and monitor progress. The team behind developing the app hopes that a future version will also anticipate periods of higher stress and prompt users to breathe deeply to stem a panic attack.

“Everyone we’ve had test the app says they want to keep using it,” Wallace says. “It’s like having a personal breathing coach, and our patients tell us it really helps them – whether it’s overcoming fears of going places, managing anger or calming their anxiety.”

For more information on assistive technology research, click here.

Here are a few of the apps developed with support from the App Factory:

BreatheWell Wear

Assists with: managing stress through diaphragmatic breathing for people with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Available on: Google Play for Android Wear smartwatches.

When people endure stress, they experience the fight-or-flight response. Their heart rate increases and breathing becomes shallow, exacerbating anxiety. Slowing their breathing, particularly when exhaling, can help calm them. BreatheWell Wear assists the user in performing deep, slow, diaphragmatic breathing by providing visual and auditory guidance to pace breathing, including a display of the user’s heart rate in real time. It also provides the user with the option of listening to calming sounds and music or selecting a song from their own music library. BreatheWell Wear allows users to set reminders to practice during periods of low stress so they can perform the breathing technique effectively when they need it most.

BEST Suite

Assists with: energy/time management, task completion, goal setting and strategy management.

Available on: iOS devices and can be found in the App Store.

Brain Education Strategies & Technology (BEST) has developed a suite of four apps designed to help people with brain injuries and other cognitive challenges learn to optimize their energy, self-regulate behavior, set goals, track strategies, and get more done at home, school and work. The apps are integrated, allowing users to easily use the entire suite or use each app independently.

More information on the BEST Suite can be found on their website here.

SwapMyMood

Assists with: problem-solving and emotion regulation.

Available on: iOS devices and can be found in the App Store.

SwapMyMood was designed to assist people with brain injury in engaging in problem-solving and emotion regulation. The app is an electronic mobile version of evidence-based tools that were previously only available in paper format. SwapMyMood guides the user through the multiple steps involved in a problem-solving and emotion regulation intervention. Links to supportive resources and tips are integrated throughout, and effective, personalized interventions can be saved for reference in future situations.

The contents of this app are based on the Short-Term Executive Plus Intervention for Executive Dysfunction developed at the Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant no.1R49CE001171-01).

Pow!r Mount Plus

Assists with: mobility impairments due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) or high-level spinal cord injuries.

Available on: Google Play for the Android platform and supports devices on a Wink network.

The Pow!r Mount gives users the freedom and independence to position and interact with equipment such as speech devices, laptops, phones, cameras, tablets, hydration and suction equipment.

The Pow!r Mount Plus app adds home control capabilities to the Pow!r Mount app, enabling users to control smart devices in their home using their phone or tablet. Both apps can be controlled by directly touching the screen or using accessible switches plugged into the Pow!r Mount’s End Cap.

SpeakUp: An SPL Meter

Assists with: speaking volume.

Available on: Google Play for Android operating systems.

SpeakUp is designed for people that need assistance modulating or increasing their speaking volume. The target use population are pediatric patients that have difficulty modulating the volume of their voice and children who have difficulty using a loud voice. The adjustable nature of the application allows it to be used with adults, most notably those with Parkinson’s disease.

Speech2RTT Communicator

Assists with: non-verbal communication.

Available on: Google Play for Android operating systems.

Speech2RTT® is an Android application that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and non-verbal to communicate with anyone using their Android smart phone or tablet. It works over cellular networks and for Wi-Fi calling.

The app captions and then streams the text of what is being said between individuals. If a user cannot speak, or opts not to speak, they can type what they want to say in real time.

Tetra Alarm

Assists with: reminders for people with spinal cord injury or other conditions or illnesses.

Available on: Google Play for Android devices.

Many people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) often have a tough time with the built-in alarm functions of a smartphone. Unfortunately, the app versions haven’t been much better. Designed for people with full manual ability, many apps are difficult to use for someone with limited dexterity.

Tetra Alarm is designed so you just need to select a box corresponding to a particular time. Tetra Alarm is not only a useful tool for people with SCI, but also for people who have other injuries or chronic illnesses that have affected their memory and cognitive function.

Tummy Time Fun

Assists with: encouraging young children to spend time in the prone position.

Available on: iOS devices and can be found in the App Store.

Tummy Time Fun (TTF) is an iOS app that can be used to encourage children to spend more time in the prone position, improving postural control. During tummy time sessions, a baby/child wears a small, lightweight electronic sensor between the shoulder blades, which measures the angle of the upper body relative to a horizontal, prone position. This sensor communicates wirelessly with the TTF app that is installed on a smartphone or tablet. When the child pushes up from prone so that the angle of his or her upper body is above a preset threshold level, the app activates music or video to motivate the child to remain in that position. For video feedback, the smartphone or tablet can be placed directly in front of the baby to be in the line of sight when he or she pushes up from prone.

This website contains more information, including an instructional video.

AccessLyve 

Assists with: providing real-time audio streaming for people who are blind, have low vision or are hard of hearing.

Available on: iOS devices and can be found in the App Store.

AccessLyve provides real-time audio streaming for people who are blind, have low vision or are hard of hearing.

Written by Amanda Crowe, MA, MPH

                      

Shepherd Center recently launched a new partnership program called ShepherdConnect. It’s designed so that employers, hospitals and health systems can connect their employees, families and patients to the world-class rehabilitation care that Shepherd Center provides when patients and families need it most.

ShepherdConnect is a resource for both health plan participants and workers compensation-related cases. By partnering with Shepherd Center, people will have access to specialized medical treatment all in one place – including physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapy, as well as vocational rehabilitation when appropriate.

“Very few places like Shepherd exist,” explains Shepherd Center Chief Strategy Officer Chet Bhasin, MBA, MS, FACHE. “We aim to help people get back to their communities.”

A partnership with Shepherd Center offers a host of benefits to both employers and healthcare organizations. 

“As healthcare gets more complex, more patients are seeking care outside of their metro area, and Shepherd Center is trying to be accessible for as many patients as possible,” Bhasin explains.

“This program will assist thousands of employers in increasing the access and quality of care for their covered lives. Our goal is to continually be a progressive source for care.”

How Does it Work for Employers?

When an employee (or their dependent) of a corporation or organization that has partnered with Shepherd Center sustains a spinal cord injury or brain injury, has a stroke or experiences complications from multiple sclerosis, a Shepherd Center access case manager will provide a timely, on-site evaluation in the patient’s acute care hospital anywhere in the United States. The access case manager will help arrange cost-effective and appropriate medical transportation to Shepherd Center. In some cases, Shepherd-provided housing is available for families of patients where both the patient and family live more than 60 miles from Shepherd Center.

Employees who complete rehabilitation and are able to return to work sooner may not need an extended leave covered by disability insurance or workers’ compensation benefits, saving employers money. Expanding healthcare choice and offering additional value to existing healthcare programs can also help employers recruit and retain great employees.

“Shepherd was built from the ground up to serve patients who are typically working-age who have complex injuries and illnesses,” says Shepherd Center’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Managed Care Mitch Fillhaber, MS. “When they are injured, there are significant costs and lifestyle disruptions.”

Employers also can lower long-term healthcare costs because Shepherd Center:

• Helps patients return to their communities nearly 90% of the time.
• Helps reduce hospital readmission rates and costly transfers by using our on-site ICU specialized therapy in the same facility without the cost of a transfer.
• Helps patients be more independent when they return home.
• Continues to follow high-risk patients post-discharge.
• Helps patients return to work after rehabilitation.

How Does it Work for Hospitals and Health Systems?
Hospitals and health systems who partner with Shepherd Center through ShepherdConnect will be able to provide specialized and experienced, post-acute rehabilitation care to patients with complex brain injuries, spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis.

“The program offers an easy path to Shepherd Center for their patients’ post-acute care,” Fillhaber says.

Patients treated at Shepherd Center are much less likely to be readmitted than patients treated in similar hospitals. Shepherd Center’s data on discharges of patients covered by all payor types reveals a 5% readmission rate within 30 days after discharge. That figure is significantly lower than the 24.6% industry average readmission rate for facilities with similar licensure, based on publicly available data.

Healthcare leaders can partner with Shepherd Center to: 

• Achieve optimal patient outcomes, including for those with the most complex cases.
• Help reduce costly hospital transfers and/or hospital readmissions.
• Give patients access to cutting-edge research and services.
• Support patients’ quality of life once they return to your community.

Corporations, organizations, hospitals or health systems that are interested in entering a partnership agreement with Shepherd through ShepherdConnect can call 404-350-7313 or email connect@shepherd.org to learn more.

Written by Christy Rosell and Robin Yamakawa

As we welcome this new decade and the endless possibilities it offers, here is a recap of some of the most significant milestones from the past 10 years.

2010: Shepherd Center completed a $9.8 million renovation and remodeling project that created more private rooms for patients, added a second brain injury unit, and reconfigured and remodeled various units in the Center.

2010: Shepherd Center increased its number of beds to 152, including a 10-bed ICU.

2010: Shepherd Center launched a new educational video series about spinal cord and brain injury to help people better understand their new injury, the path to recovery and functional expectations.

2013: Shepherd Center began testing Indego®, a new powered exoskeleton device designed to assist walking in people with spinal cord injury and other mobility-limiting conditions. It was developed by Vanderbilt University engineers in consultation with Shepherd Center researchers and then licensed and manufactured by Parker Hannifin Corporation.

2014: Shepherd Center embarked on a $12.5 million renovation and building project to add 13,000 square feet for an expanded and updated lab, pharmacy and MRI suite.

2014: Shepherd’s Men, comprised of active and retired servicemen, as well as civilian volunteers, enthusiastically began raising awareness and funds for the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center through annual events. Since 2014, Shepherd’s Men has raised more than $5 million to support the SHARE Military Initiative.

2015: Shepherd Center celebrated its 40th anniversary. In its first 40 years, Shepherd Center grew from a six-bed rehabilitation unit to a world-renowned, 152-bed hospital.

2016: Shepherd Center launched the Complex Concussion Clinic to address complications of mild brain injuries in patients.

2017: Michael Yochelson, M.D., MBA, is named chief medical officer of Shepherd Center.

2017: Thanks to a gift from The Marcus Foundation, Shepherd Center opened a new facility at 80 Peachtree Park Drive to house the SHARE Military Initiative. The facility also houses the Complex Concussion Clinic and Eula C. and Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation and Wellness Program.

2017: Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, became president and CEO of Shepherd Center, having served in various leadership roles at the hospital since 1984. Before assuming the top role, Morrison served as vice president of clinical services and also as director of the Shepherd Center Spinal Cord Injury Program. Before that, she worked at Shepherd Center as a director of the medical surgical and ICU programs, manager of the Spinal Cord Injury Day Program, a physical therapy supervisor and a physical therapist.

2017: Shepherd Center Board Member Juli Owens created a Shepherd Center experience at the Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo, highlighting the Wheelchair Division of the AJC Peachtree Road Race, adaptive sports and Shepherd Center’s partnership with Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that trains and provides facility dogs to organization such as Shepherd Center.

2017: Shepherd Center launched AutoCoach®. Partnering with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) and IT management consulting firm CapTech, Shepherd Center’s certified driver rehabilitation specialists and injury prevention experts used their specialized training to create the innovative app that makes it easier for adults to effectively teach their teens to drive defensively and safely.

2018: Thanks to a generous donor, Shepherd Center’s CT scanner became operational in August 2018. Having a CT scanner in house has saved hundreds of hours of nursing staff time by eliminating the need to move patients to adjacent Piedmont Atlanta Hospital for these scans. This allows our nurses more time to be on the rehabilitation units with our patients.

2018: Shepherd Center launched the NeuroRehabilitation Learning Institute to offer interdisciplinary professional education to support the treatment of complex neurological conditions such as brain and spinal cord injury. Shepherd Center is committed to sharing its expertise with clinicians nationwide so that its patients receive informed care to meet their needs once they return to their communities.

2018: Shepherd Center’s Director of Multiple Sclerosis Research Debbie Backus, PT, Ph.D., began research funded by the hospital’s largest research grant to date – a PCORI grant of $5.7 million over four years to study the delivery and effects of exercise for people with MS. This grant signifies the commitment of our Crawford Research Institute in securing grants that directly improve the care we provide our patients. Shepherd researchers have garnered current multi-year grants that total more than $17 million.

2018: Shepherd Center Foundation’s annual Legendary Party had the opportunity to honor co-founders Alana and Harold Shepherd, raising a record $6.2 million in 2018 and an astounding $19.1 million over the decade for patient and family programs.

2018: Shepherd Center acquired 2.6 acres of nearby land to expand our family housing program. Shepherd Center is committed to reducing the financial and emotional burden our families experience during one of the most challenging times of their lives. This housing expansion will allow for our out-of-town families to stay with their loved ones for as long as they are at Shepherd Center.

2018: The naming of the J. Harold Shepherd Parkway section of Peachtree Road honored Shepherd Center co-founder, the late Harold Shepherd. This is a testament to the incredible contributions Harold Shepherd made to Atlanta and beyond, as well as to the community support for the Shepherd family and the recognition of Shepherd Center’s ability to provide its patients with hope, dignity and independence.

2018: Shepherd Center released a video series for women with spinal cord injury titled “Empowering Women After SCI: Safe Healthcare Goes Beyond Accessibility.” The series aims to empower women who have sustained spinal cord injuries to advocate for their own health and wellness. The videos also serve to better equip healthcare providers to treat women with SCI.

2018: Shepherd Center mourned the loss of co-founder Harold Shepherd. He passed away on December 10, 2018, leaving a legacy of generosity and kindness.

2019: Shepherd Center was recognized in Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Best-in-State Employers for 2019. The hospital ranked No. 10 among the 56 employers included in the list for Georgia.

2019: Shepherd Center was named one of Atlanta’s “Best Places to Work” in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 16th annual ranking of 103 metro area companies. Shepherd Center was recognized as the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s #4 Best Place to Work in the extra-large company (500-plus employees) category. Shepherd is the only hospital recognized among the top 12 Atlanta companies. The newspaper also ranked Shepherd Center among the Best Places to Work in its 2017 and 2018 listings.

2019: Shepherd Center’s employee giving campaign (ShepherdCares) raised more than $214,000 with 85 percent of Shepherd Center staff contributing to the campaign. It has raised a total of $1.6 million over the last decade. The commitment of employees helps continue our differentiating, value-added services.

2019: Thanks to a generous donor, Shepherd Center installed a new 3.0 Tesla MRI in our MRI suite. The addition enhanced Shepherd Center’s in-house imaging capabilities, adding additional precision and convenience to patient care.

2019: Shepherd Center launched a new electronic medical record system called Epic to enhance patient safety, collaboration and efficiency to meet patients’ unique needs across the continuum of care.

2019: Shepherd received three new facility dogs from our friends at Canine Companions for Independence, bringing our current total to six. Made possible through donor support and handled by highly-trained Shepherd Center employees, our facility dogs know up to 40 commands – such as getting items out of a refrigerator, opening a door and pushing an elevator button – all activities that help facilitate the independence that Shepherd Center patients and clients work toward.

2019: Shepherd Center was recognized as one of the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation for the 11^th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report in the magazine’s 2019-20 Best Hospitals rankings.

2019: Shepherd Center launched a new partnership program called ShepherdConnect designed so that employers, hospitals and health systems can connect their employees, families and patients to the world-class rehabilitation care that Shepherd Center provides when patients and families need it most.

2019: Jamie Shepherd, MBA, MHA, chief operating officer of Shepherd Center, was honored as one Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under Forty.

2019: Shepherd Center co-founders Alana Shepherd and James Shepherd were recognized on August 22, 2019, with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Most Admired CEOs Awards dinner. They were among 44 leaders in 22 categories and industries, from accounting to utilities and energy, who were honored.

2019: Shepherd Center co-founder James Shepherd passed away on December 21, 2019, in Atlanta surrounded by loved ones. Family and friends remember James as a savvy businessman, good-humored prankster, kind friend and dedicated advocate for people with disabilities. In the 46 years since his paralyzing injury, he, along with his co-founders, helped build Shepherd Center as the bridge from “I can’t,” to “I can.”

Compiled by Damjana Alverson

1. Shepherd Center Co-Founder James Shepherd Passes Away 
Family and friends remember James as a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities.

2. Getting Back on Track After Spinal Cord Injury 
Day by day, Caroline Moore Brodmann works toward recovery from a spinal cord injury.

3. Pennsylvania Man Returns to Work, Takes on Family Life After Brain Injury Rehabilitation 
Adam Albaugh credits Shepherd Center for preparing him for life after a brain injury.

4. Shepherd Center Treats Two Patients with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury with Potential Restorative Drug in RESET Clinical Trial 
The Phase 1 study is evaluating the safety of the drug.

5. A Patient – and His Love of Music – Brings Holiday Spirit to Shepherd Center 
After sustaining a spinal cord injury, Thomas Joiner gets back to doing what he loves – conducting music.

6. From Patient to Safety Advocate 
Rachel Johnson, who sustained a brain injury in an e-scooter crash, aims to improve the safety of this new mode of transportation.

7. Just a Typical 18-Year-Old Boy 
Through teamwork, dedication and a whole lot of creative thinking, Shepherd Center therapists help Jefferey Cox get back to gaming.

8. U.S. News & World Report Once Again Ranks Shepherd Center Among Best Rehabilitation Hospitals 
The 2019 ranking marks Shepherd Center’s 11th year in the top 10.

9. Spinal Cord Injuries Lead to Shared Dreams 
Inspired by their time at Shepherd Center, two former patients are now doctors of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

10. The Patient Who Changed Me 
Shepherd Center employees talk about the bonds they form with patients and their families.

“This is an enormous loss for Shepherd Center and the community,” said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “James was a dedicated and passionate advocate for people with disabilities. We will miss seeing him in the halls at Shepherd, during his visits with patients and staff, and most deeply, in our hearts.”

James, along with his parents Alana and the late Harold Shepherd, and David Apple, M.D., founded Shepherd Center after James sustained a paralyzing spinal cord injury in 1973. Frustrated by the lack of state-of-the-art rehabilitation care in the southeastern United States, the family galvanized support among the Atlanta community to open a facility to provide specialized care for people with spinal cord injuries.

In 1975, Shepherd Center began as a six-bed unit operating out of leased space in an Atlanta hospital. While it has grown exponentially in its 45 years, it has always maintained its original goals – to provide a patient- and family-centered approach to rehabilitation, and to encourage patients to look beyond their injuries and embrace their futures, Morrison said.

As Chairman of the Board of Directors, James Shepherd led the Center to become the pre-eminent center of excellence for care and research for patients and families experiencing spinal cord, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular disorders.

“James was a forward thinker – always with the staff, patients and their families in mind,” said David Apple, M.D., medical director emeritus and Shepherd Center co-founder. “James had a sense of humor, which endeared him to staff and friends. James was the epitome of one who turned tragedy into triumph.”

Throughout the hospital’s history, James worked to improve accessibility and opportunity for people with disabilities. He regularly communicated with community leaders, legislators and the news media to increase public awareness. He also toured groups through Shepherd Center, spoke to community organizations, and made advocates and supporters of the many people he reached. James exemplified how dedication and determination can bring change to society.

“For nearly 45 years, James devoted his life to ensuring our clinical teams could take the so-called impossible cases and help people put their lives back together,” Morrison said. “James often said that Shepherd Center was the bridge between ‘I can’t’ and ‘I can.’ Thanks to him, thousands of patients and families found a pathway to independence, hope and dignity.”

James, who set a new standard for living a life that looked beyond injury, said in an interview several years ago: “Shepherd Center is special for a lot of reasons – most of which are the people who work here. There is a culture of intentional caring. It is embracing not just the patient, but the family, from a spiritual to a medical to a physical need. It’s wrapping this continuum of medical care and love around the patient and family. There is love here, and there’s faith and there’s hope.”

James noted that getting to know patients during their stay at Shepherd Center and watching their progress was one of his favorite things to do. “I watch them leave here with a smile on their face,” he said. “They are hugging staff members and saying how grateful they are to have been somewhere like this in one of the most horrible times in their lives, and they’re ready to re-engage. It’s moving every day.”

On both the state and national levels, James made tremendous contributions to providing exceptional healthcare for people with spinal cord and brain injuries. His contributions were recognized with numerous awards, including a national award for distinguished public service from the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and an honorary doctorate from the University of Georgia – both of which also recognized his parents’ contributions. In 2017, the Delta Air Lines Advisory Board on Disability chose James and his parents as the recipients of Delta’s Jay & Hagar Award for servant leadership. In summer 2019, James and Alana were both honored with lifetime achievement awards as part of Atlanta Business Chronicle's Most Admired CEO Awards.

James was a native of Atlanta and a graduate of the Westminster Schools and the University of Georgia. In Atlanta and beyond, he actively served on numerous boards and committees to further education and research to benefit people with disabilities. He served as director of the National Rehabilitation Awareness Foundation, on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Rehabilitation Technology, the Governor’s Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Trust Fund Authority and as a board member of Initiative 2000 (a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act). James also served on the Steering Committee for the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, which led the Interfaith Conference on Disability Awareness. He was an active volunteer in the community, having volunteered on the accessibility advisory committees of MARTA, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

“James was committed to doing everything in his power to rebuild the lives of the people in our care,” Morrison said. “There wasn’t a day that went by that you could not feel and see his influence.”

The Shepherd family invites all employees to join in a celebration of life for James on January 3 at noon in the Callaway Auditorium. For those of you who can attend the memorial service, it will be January 6 at 2:30 p.m. at Peachtree Presbyterian at 3434 Roswell Road in Buckhead. We hope you will be able to join us as we celebrate James and all he means to us.

For those who are unable to attend, you may sign one of the guest books, which are located on the first floor at the welcome desk and security desk, as well as in front of the cafeteria on the ground floor.

Please check shepherd.org for updates.

The evening honored philanthropist Peter A. Dames. Event chair Janie Fickling Skinner thanked Peter and his family for their generous long-time support of Shepherd Center.

At the event, Janie said, “Some of their many contributions include a renovated recreation room and a koi pond for the secret garden. I hope you enjoyed ours [koi ponds] as you entered tonight. As an adventurer, sports enthusiast and former Shepherd Center patient, Peter shows us the importance of recreation therapy.”

The crowd of more than 600 guests then joined in an ovation to celebrate Peter and his family.

Presenting sponsors included Fred V. Alias, Elaine and John Carlos, the Dahlberg Family, Peter A. Dames and family, and The Home Depot Foundation. Platinum Sponsors included Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, and Genuine Parts Company. The event raised more than three million dollars, and proceeds from the evening will support Shepherd Center’s Recreation Therapy Program.

Vic Pentz, the retired senior pastor of Peachtree Presbyterian Church and dear friend of the Shepherd family, gave the invocation. Students from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings performed one final selection, which was dedicated to Peter and his family.

Guests dined in the beautiful ballroom that featured a Japanese inspired theme. The centerpieces included roses, hydrangeas and peonies. The festive dinner included an Asian pear salad, ponzu marinated filet and sea bass served with a stir fry of kale, quinoa, shiitake mushrooms and ginger roasted carrots. Dessert included mandarin and yuzu bavarois, dragon fruit, toasted macadamia nuts and gold-dusted blackberries garnished with three edible cherry blossom wafers.

After dinner, guests filled the dance floor and danced the night away to the live band Atlanta Groove Factory. Shepherd Center’s next generation of supporters arrived for the Legendary Late Night afterparty where guests enjoyed light bites and a dessert buffet. Their entertainment included a live band, Color the Night, and major college football games played on flat-screen televisions.

Next year’s Legendary Party will be November 7, 2020. Learn more here. 

1. If you have children or grandkids visiting, ensure their car seats are correctly installed and up-to-date. Check the seat’s expiration date and for any manufacturer recalls. Children under 4’9” should be in a car seat or booster seat.
2. Have children under age 13 ride in the backseat at all times.
3. If you are traveling to colder climates:
   • Make sure your tires are properly inflated and have enough tread on them.
   • Keep kitty litter in your car in case you get stuck in snow and ice – it provides excellent traction.
   • Ensure you have an ice scraper and shovel in the trunk as well as extra blankets and flashlights in case you get stuck.
4. Try to travel during daylight hours and avoid late-night travel. Many crashes happen due to poor visibility and impaired drivers on the road after hours.
5. Always wear your seatbelt and insist your passengers do as well. Unbuckled passengers can become torpedoes upon impact.
6. Drive without distractions – even Bluetooth technology is enough to take your mind off of driving.
7. Avoid driving altogether by using public transportation or ride-sharing apps when possible, especially if you have indulged in a holiday drink or two.

Written by Emma Harrington and Damjana Alverson

Immediately following a major injury, picturing life afterward – a joyful one that you can build for yourself – can seem so far away or unreachable. But it is possible. Two former Shepherd Center patients – Marie Vonderheyden and Vincenzo Piscopo – share their stories about how they designed their new normal and got back to what they love.

The magazine also includes these stories among inspiring patient profiles, event updates, honorariums and memorials.

Patient Shows Tenacity and Focus From bodybuilder to pageant queen and loving mother, Marsha Schmid keeps moving forward.

It’s Like a Second Home Beryl Waters has become a fixture at Shepherd Center, logging nearly 5,000 volunteer hours -- so far.

Shepherd Center’s Vocational Services Department Helps Patients Get Back to Work Life After Injury Can Often Mean a Return to the Workforce

You can subscribe to the print and/or e-newsletter versions of Shepherd Center's magazine here.

In his role as COO, Shepherd is responsible for the administrative direction, evaluation and coordination of clinical operations. He provides the leadership, management and strategic vision to ensure Shepherd Center has the proper processes and resources in place to optimize the clinical operations of the hospital, ensuring financial strength and operating efficiency.

“We’re very proud for Jamie to receive this well-deserved recognition as one of Atlanta’s 40 leaders under 40,” Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center says. “As chief operating officer of Shepherd Center, he is a leader who lives the mission every single day. His leadership style makes a significant difference with our employees which leads to our superior clinical outcomes. He is poised to lead Shepherd Center for many years to come. "

Shepherd also oversees the hospital’s community services and risk management functions. In his community services role, Shepherd provides guidance and support to patients and their families after discharge by engaging them in programs that promote health, wellness and independence, aiding in the reduction of unplanned readmissions and their associated costs.

Shepherd, the son of Shepherd Center co-founder James H. Shepherd, Jr., has carried on his family’s tradition of dedication to Shepherd Center’s mission of helping people with a temporary or permanent disability caused by injury or disease, rebuild their lives with hope, independence and dignity.

Shepherd Center was founded in 1975 by Shepherd’s father, James Shepherd, his grandparents, Alana and Harold Shepherd, and David Apple, M.D., who is now medical director emeritus. They founded the hospital after James sustained a paralyzing spinal cord injury in a bodysurfing accident in 1975.

“I am honored and humbled to be part of the third generation of our family working at Shepherd Center,” Shepherd says. “My vision is to build on the strong foundation my father and grandparents have put in place while maintaining our unique culture.”

Shepherd is a founding member of the Shepherd Center Foundation fundraising group called Shepherd Center Society and also serves as a board member of Shepherd Center. In addition, he represents the hospital at numerous fundraisers and community events.

Shepherd previously served as the director of community services and risk management and as a strategic project analyst at Shepherd Center, reporting directly to the chief financial officer and director of quality.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia, as well as master’s degrees in business administration and health administration from Georgia State University.

The new class was selected by a panel of past winners of the 40 Under Forty award from just over 400 nominations submitted on the Atlanta Business Chronicle website. They were celebrated at an evening awards event on Nov. 7, 2019, at The Fairmont in Atlanta.

Q: How long have you been at Shepherd Center?

Q: What led you here?
I had heard so many amazing things about working here. Shepherd Center is definitely a place you hear about during PT school as a place where everyone wants to work. Students try really hard to get a rotation at Shepherd Center, and some schools even make you interview to get a rotation at Shepherd Center because they’re so highly sought after. I started at Shepherd Center as a student in the Spinal Cord Injury Day Program. When my rotation was over, I put in my resume for openings and got hired to work in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program, which back then, was the Neurospecialty Unit.

Q: What is it like to work at Shepherd Center?
Shepherd Center fosters a culture that is very trusting of therapists. If we work hard and show that we have the patients’ best interests in mind, we are trusted and given the tools to do what’s best for our patients, even if it doesn’t seem like the typical route to take. We are fortunate to have a lot of support from our managers and amazing technology at our fingertips. We’re encouraged to meet patients where they’re at and to problem solve. For example, I had a patient who played the guitar, and he missed it. We planned an outing to a guitar store for him that worked in elements of therapy, but also satisfied his emotional connection to music. We worked on his PT goals, like walking in busy public environments, while also working on his emotional and personal goals to get back to playing guitar.

Q: What is your favorite part of the job?
I love the patient and family relationships. I have many patients and families who I am still very close with, and we still touch base. It’s amazing when you didn’t really know how a patient would do, and then they come back to visit and have made incredible progress. The level of recovery we see in patients is just amazing to watch – even in just six weeks, we see huge changes.

I also love that the caliber of my co-workers is so high. We are like a crew, and if I’m stuck, I know my colleagues will rally with me, problem solve and come up with creative ways to help our patients. If we want to make something happen, I know that I am surrounded by a group who can help me figure it all out. We nerd out well together.

FUN FACTS

• Danielle has a one-year-old daughter and two golden retrievers.
• She and her husband love to do outdoorsy things like hiking and kayaking.
• She’s camped on most of Georgia’s islands and plans to take her daughter on her first camping trip soon.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS:

University of Georgia

• Bachelor of Science, Psychology

Armstrong Atlantic University

• Doctorate of Physical Therapy

Falls are also one of the most common mechanisms of injury for both spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. While injuries from falls disproportionally affect children and older adults, there are a few things we can all keep in mind to stay safe. A majority of fall injuries occur inside and outside of the home. Emma Harrington, director of injury prevention and education at Shepherd Center recommends these steps to prevent falls:

1. Use nightlights in rooms of people of all ages. Lighting the way to the bathroom or other rooms at night can help reduce falls.
2. When decorating for the holidays, if you have to use a step stool, make sure it is sturdy and has grips at the base. Preferably, use a step stool that has a grab bar. If you are decorating, make sure a friend or family member is nearby so that if you do fall, someone can help and/or call for help.
3. When decorating, avoid trip hazards. Keep holiday lights and extension cords tidy and off of the floors.
4. Ditch area rugs, especially when they are not stuck to the ground and have curled edges.
5. Install grab bars in the bathroom – in the tub and next to the toilet if needed.
6. Do not get up on your roof for routine maintenance of the roof or gutters. There are companies that specialize in gutter cleaning and roof repairs. Use the experts!
7. Avoid alcohol when at any height. This is especially true for deer stands. Annually, there are several deer stand fatalities and injuries resulting from falls.
8. If traveling to colder climates during the holidays, please be wary of snow and ice. Wearing proper footwear with a sturdy grip is a must. Salt all pathways that have been covered in ice and/or snow, and use caution. Remember you can’t see black ice until you are right on top of it.
9. Get your vision checked annually and your prescription updated. Also, have your pharmacist/ doctor check all of your medications for interactions. Include any herbal remedies you may be taking.
10. Stay active! Maintaining core strength can go a long way in preventing injuries and easing recovery after injury.

For more information on Shepherd Center’s Injury Prevention Program, visit shepherd.org/injuryprevention.

The publication, “The Americans with Disabilities Act & Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities,” is intended to help election officials, poll workers and voters understand how the ADA and other federal laws ensure equality in the voting process for people with disabilities. Access the publication here.

To find out more about the publication or the ADA, you may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or visit ADA.gov.

"Voting is one our most important civic duties and fundamental rights,” says John Smith, director of government relations and advocacy at Shepherd Center. “Voters with disabilities should know their rights and expect that polling places will provide proper accommodations for accessibility. In addition to the federal protections, Georgia law requires that all polling locations be accessible and have poll workers ready to assist all voters. It is important that all voters know the issues and exercise their right to vote.”

For example, if the elevated stage of a school auditorium is used as a polling place, there must be a ramp to the stage, and there should be signage and/or a poll worker directing a voter in a wheelchair to that ramp if it is not in plain view. Also, voting booth height must be adjusted to the meet the needs of wheelchair users.

Smith also noted that voting options, such as early voting, and new voting technologies, such as online voter registration and online voting, make the voting process more accessible to everyone.

In addition to the Justice Department publication on the rights of voters with disabilities, Smith suggests some other resources:

• The Georgia Secretary of State provides information regarding registration and voting options online here: https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/elections/voters_with_disabilities

• The U.S. Election Assistance Commission offers a resource page that includes guidance for both election officials and voters with disabilities. Resources include a checklist, guidelines, toolkit and video. Access the page here.
• The Justice Department operates a website where voters with disabilities can file a complaint if they believe their rights have been violated. Access the page here.
• Register, Educate &Vote (REV Up) website
• The RespectAbility Report 
• Disability Leadership blog
• NCIL Voting Rights website

Bob Cross arrived at Shepherd Center in December 2018 after sustaining a spinal cord injury. His only daughter, Jacquie, – his only relative – lived four-and-a-half hours away in Florida and was due to deliver her second child in a few short weeks. Traveling was out of the question for her, even though she desperately wanted to be with her dad. Bob was first admitted on the fifth floor of the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program. Shortly after his admission, Bob developed complications and transferred to Shepherd Center's ICU. When one of the nurses approached Julie Shepherd, CCM, LMSW, CLCP, and explained Jacquie’s inability to travel, Julie stepped in, becoming the connection between Bob, his care team, and his daughter Jacquie, creating a friendship that has grown and deepened.

When her patients first arrive, Julie advises them and their family about what to expect. She explains what could be involved in their rehabilitation, reviews insurance benefits, offers education, and she typically follows each of her patients through their eventual discharge planning.

Case managers like Julie are the familiar faces that remain with patients as they progress through their stay at Shepherd Center. Julie quickly got in touch with Jacquie when she met Bob, and their communication enabled Jacquie to be an integral part of his recovery.

“I was apprehensive at first abut sending him so far away,” Jacquie recalls. “He’s my only family, and I was 36 weeks pregnant and couldn’t travel. I could call the nurses and get a status report, but Julie took the time to set up video calls so I could see him and talk with him even when he was sedated. At least twice a week, she would do that for us, even when he was on a ventilator.”

Bob’s rehabilitation journey included a two-week visit to a neighboring acute care hospital, where he was technically no longer Julie’s responsibility. But by then, Jacquie and Julie had formed a real friendship. Julie visited Bob in the hospital almost daily, continuing the video calls and guiding Jacquie through his care. When Julie got the news that Bob’s sedation was being removed and he was waking up, she raced over to his bedside, video-calling Jacquie, who was in labor with her daughter at that moment.

First thing the next morning, Julie was with Bob again, including him as he met his new granddaughter, Georgia “Peach” Jackson, via video call. She and Jacquie collaborated on pictures that could be printed and placed around Bob’s hospital room. At that point, Bob was noted to have an acquired brain Injury in addition to his spinal cord injury and he was not speaking or following commands.

“I remember calling Jacquie on video and asking her to speak to him,” Julie says. “She said, ‘I love you dad’ and he immediately responded, ‘love you too.’ I think we all cried that day.”

Bob has recently returned to Shepherd Center for further rehabilitation, with Julie and Jacquie continuing their collaboration and what will be a lifelong friendship. Julie supports his goals of improving his word-finding and memory, and says he’s making great progress. Ultimately, he wants to read to his grandson, Jacquie’s older child, when he returns home to Florida.

“She’s in my daughter’s birth book,” Jacquie says of Julie, “She’s an important part of our family. I don’t think I would have been at peace with him being so far away if it wasn’t for her. Yesterday, she even helped set up his voice-activated phone speaker so he can answer calls by himself.”

While Julie grew up in the Shepherd family (she’s the daughter of co-founder James H. Shepherd, Jr. and granddaughter of co-founders Alana and the late Harold Shepherd,) the families of her patients are also like family to her.

“Forty plus years later, my grandfather, Harold Shepherd, remembered the people who helped him along the way when my father was in rehabilitation for his spinal cord injury,” Julie says. “As I work, I think, ‘If this were my father, husband, or brother, what would I want for them?’ It’s not always something tangible that you do, but instead, how you make people feel. Sometimes, all you can give them is a shoulder. Being a case manager is more of a relationship – somebody they can go to, somebody they can trust.”

Written by Pamela Evans

Q: How did your career with Shepherd Center begin?

Q: What has led you to spend so much of your career at Shepherd Center?
On September 21, 2019, I celebrated 32 years of employment at Shepherd Center. Working with and being an advocate for patients as they go through the most challenging time in their lives brings a very high degree of job satisfaction to me. I love seeing patients obtain positive outcomes, no matter how small or large. When patients return to Shepherd to visit years or months later and seeing the functional or social changes some of them have made, it’s an experience that makes my day.

Q: In your opinion, what role does a case manager play with a patient and their family?
The role of a case manager is very extensive. No two days are the same. We are patient advocates, team leaders, counselors, discharge planners and more. We spend a large part of our day meeting with patients and families, collaborating with interdisciplinary team members, working with insurance company case managers and doing anything else our patients might need.

Q: What is something people might not know about case managers?
Something people may not realize about case managers is that we are required to know everything about a patient’s rehabilitation process. We wear several hats and have to be flexible at all times.

Q: What do you love about your job?
I love making a difference in the lives of patients and their families. I also love being a part of a team of people who care about the patients we serve. We all have the same goal of ensuring that patients have the very best outcomes.

FUN FACTS

• Erma is an avid traveler who loves cruising throughout the United States and Europe.
• She grew up in the Virgin Islands. “The ocean is a huge part of who I am. The ocean is my happy place,” Erma says.
• Erma enjoys walking, reading, cooking and spending time with her 11-year-old granddaughter.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS:
Atlanta University

• Master’s degree in social work

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified Case Manager (CCM)

Marsha Hanson, RN, BSN, CRRN, began her tenure as director of outpatient services on Oct. 1, 2019. With this promotion, Hanson will direct Shepherd Center’s Outpatient Services, which includes the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute, Shepherd Spine and Pain Institute, the Multi-Specialty Clinic, Urology Clinic, Wound Clinic, Call Center and Medical Imaging Services. She will be responsible for the department’s activities and operations, providing oversight of program management activities, including business development, clinical services and financial growth.

Hanson began her career at Shepherd Center 23 years ago as a patient care technician. She has since served as a nurse, clinical research manager, clinical research coordinator, and most recently, the clinical application supervisor helping Shepherd Center implement Epic, its electronic medical record system.

“We look forward to Marsha’s leadership of our outpatient services, which care for more than 7,300 patients annually,” said Jamie Shepherd, MBA, MHA, chief operating officer of Shepherd Center. “Marsha’s clinical experience, knowledge of outpatient services and longevity at Shepherd Center make her uniquely suited for this role.”

On Oct. 7, 2019, Joe Nowicki joined Shepherd Center as associate vice president of facility services. In this role, Nowicki will lead, coordinate and oversee engineering, transportation, security and construction for all Shepherd Center properties. Nowicki will also ensure Shepherd Center’s compliance with The Joint Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and other applicable codes and regulations.

Nowicki has more than 28 years of experience in facilities operations, environment of care compliance, financial administration and operations of general healthcare facilities and five years in the hospitality industry. Most recently, he served as administrator of the environment of care and facilities operations at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. Before that, he served as vice president of facilities operations and in various other similar roles at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“Joe’s experience in healthcare and facilities management will allow him to hit the ground running as he assumes operation of Shepherd Center’s facilities, including our main hospital on Peachtree Road, Shepherd Pathways in Decatur and 80 Peachtree Park Drive near the main campus,” said Wilma Bunch, vice president of facility services at Shepherd Center. “We’re excited to see how Joe’s leadership enhances Shepherd Center’s physical presence.”

Dr. James Liadis, physiatrist in the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center, joins Shepherd Center radio to speak about pain management. Dr. Liadis explains how chronic pain is defined and diagnoised, as well as ways that pain can be treated. 

Download the podcast as an audio file above, or access it at shepherd.org/radio.

James G. Liadis, M.D., is a physiatrist in the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center. After earning a bachelor of science degree in neuroscience from the University of Michigan, Dr. Liadis earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Liadis completed his training in physical medicine and rehabilitation at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., and he is fellowship-trained in pain management through the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Q: How do patients respond to going out to do things they did before their injuries?
A lot has to do with where people are emotionally. Some are in the denial stage, they say, “I don’t need any of this.” Others have that ah-ha! moment of thinking, “I thought I was just going to go home and sit in the house all day, and now I can do these things again!” I meet patients where they are and help them through the process.

Q: What’s the role of recreational therapy at Shepherd?
We’re very much an equal player at the table, which you don’t find everywhere else. We’re one of the only hospitals in the U.S. where every patient who comes through the door gets recreational therapy.

Q: How does recreational therapy fit in with Shepherd’s interdisciplinary approach?
We take all the things patients are working on with other therapists in the hospital, take their goals – feeding themselves, pushing their wheelchair – and translate them to a real-world scenario. We’ll take them to a restaurant where maybe they don’t have all the equipment they use to eat, or tables that raise up and down, and say, “Now what?”

Q: Is teaching patients to advocate for themselves part of that?
It’s huge. In a lot of ways, it’s through advocacy that people get what they need. What we find is that when patients get out into the community, people are happy to help but they don’t know what to do. A lot of education is needed.

Q: What’s the most satisfying part of your work?
I love seeing patients make progress, even with the small things that lead them in the right direction. And I love getting updates — they’ll send pictures from vacation or ASW (Adventure Skills Workshop). There are patients who first said, “No, no, no,” and then you see them at camp water skiing. That’s really exciting.

EDUCATION
University of Tennessee

• B.S. in therapeutic recreation
• Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

OUTSIDE OF WORK
Thrush enjoys running (she won a half marathon in 2016), hiking, working in her vegetable garden and hanging out with family and friends.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT HER
Thrush moved frequently growing up but calls Decatur, Illinois, her hometown. Its claim to fame: The soybean capital of the world.

Interview by Drew Jubera

William Hoyt is a familiar face to many at Shepherd Center. Sometimes jokingly referred to as “ticket man,”

“He finds it easy just to walk in here among the patients and talk with people,” Alana Shepherd, Shepherd Center co-founder, says.

Behind the scenes, William is also active in recruiting others in the community to give time or donate to Shepherd Center. For Hoyt, the origins of his generosity are never far from his mind.

“I had a brother who was in a motorcycle accident when he was 15 and I was nine,” explains William, a retired SunTrust bank executive and member of Shepherd Center’s Board of Trustees. “People helped us back when we were in need. This is my chance to pay it back.”

LONGTIME FAMILY FRIENDS

William and his family’s connection with Shepherd Center pre-dates the hospital’s founding, in 1975.

After the motorcycle crash resulting in a brain injury for William’s brother Gus in 1964, rehabilitation included home therapy known as “patterning.” It required five adults at a time to move and flex Gus’ limbs for several minutes, four times a day. William’s mother Sara organized more than 300 volunteers for the task over the next four years.

One friend took over organizing the care for a week every year to give his mother a needed break: Shepherd Center co-founder Alana Shepherd.

“It was a labor of love,” Alana says. “Gus was a character, a funny, engaging guy.”

Hoyt says it was selfess kind gestures from friends like the Shepherds and Gus’ best friend Abner Simonton that meant so much and saw his family through a tough time. Simonton used to take Gus out all day every Thanksgiving and Chritmas for 18 years. Gus eventually walked with the aid of half-crutches. Sadly, he died at 34 from a grand mal seizure.

After William graduated from Mercer University in 1978,his first job was as an orderly at Shepherd Center, then a much smaller hospital and in a different location. He worked there for a year before pursuing his banking career.

Through the years, William and his family, including his mother and father and two aunts, have been generous donors. Plaques commemorate their gifts to fund the tunnel that con- nects Shepherd Center with Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, as well as Shepherd Center patient rooms.

PAYING IT FORWARD

William, 63, serves on a number of other nonprofit boards, including Good Samaritan Health Center, Global Health Action and Friends of Refugees. He has visited Haiti almost a dozen times to provide needed services.

William sees his work at Shepherd Center and in the Atlanta community at large as a way to take the kindness people showed his family and pay it forward.

“If I did one nice thing each and every day for someone else for the rest of my life, that would be a good start towards doing that,” he says.

Written by Drew Jubera