Children’s Specialty Clinic adds spina bifida program

St. John’s Children’s Specialty Clinic, located in suite 220 of St. John’s Clinic-Fremont on the St. John’s Hospital campus, has added a spina bifida program to its list of children’s specialty care services.

WHAT IS SPINA BIFIDA?

Spina bifida is a neurological condition that involves abnormal development of the back bones, spinal cord, surrounding nerves, and the fluid-filled sac that surrounds the spinal cord. It can cause a portion of the spinal cord and the surrounding structures to develop outside, instead of inside, the body and can occur anywhere along the spine.

Spina bifida patients are seen at the clinic on the third Thursday of each month by pediatrician John Burson, M.D.; physiatrist David Kent, M.D.; pediatric neurosurgeon Sami Khoshyomn, M.D.; pediatric neurologist Bernardo Flasterstein, M.D.; pediatric orthopedic surgeon William Goodman, M.D.; and urologist Geoff Lloyd-Smith, M.D.

“Spina bifida can affect multiple organ systems, depending on where it occurs on the spine, so these patients often need to see several specialists,” says Tye Wallen, R.N., St. John’s Children’s Hospital services coordinator.

JOHNATHAN’S STORY

Johnathan Heasley, 24, of Springfield (pictured below) remembers traveling to St. Louis regularly and about twice a year to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago as a child to see specialists there for his spina bifida.

“I actually looked forward to the trips because my parents and I always had a good time in Chicago, but they always had to take off work to take me up there. It would have been nice to have had access to those services closer to home,” he says.

Heasley, a call center operator and burn tech at St. John’s, says he required more specialty care as a child than as an adult. He now sees St. John’s internist Dominic Meldi, M.D., who refers him to other specialists as needed.

Johnathan Heasley

“The ability to see all of their specialists in one day at the new clinic will make things a lot easier for kids with spina bifida and their parents – they can get it over with, all in one shot,” he added.

In addition to the new spina bifida program, St. John’s Children’s Specialty Clinic hosts more than a dozen visiting pediatric specialists and coordinates all specialty care for pediatric patients, including referrals, lab work and pediatric procedures that require sedation.

“For the kids who still have to travel out of town for procedures, such as cardiac or some urological surgeries, or to see specialists who don’t come to us, we can do the lab work and other testing for them here. We try to minimize travel for these families as much as we possibly can,” Wallen says.

Because many patients often see more than one specialist, the clinic arranges for them to see their physicians and other health care providers, such as occupational therapists, as well as have any necessary tests performed, in one visit.

The clinic cares for some patients into adolescence and adulthood, Wallen says.

“Due to advances in care and technology, we’re seeing people with muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and hemophilia living longer and healthier lives,” she says. “We’re pleased to continue providing them with the care they need here.”

For more information about the spina bifida program or other St. John’s Children’s Specialty Clinic services, please call 820-2229 or toll free 1-877-890-5437.