The Multiple Sclerosis Service Society has a new home in Dormont.
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| Occupational therapist Laura Catalano, who's third from right, leads a therapy session at the new Multiple Sclerosis Service Society facility on Banksville Road in Dormont. (John Beale, Post-Gazette) |
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After losing its lease at a site owned by South Hills Health System near Jefferson Hospital earlier this year, the society needed to find a new place to provide rehabilitation, medical education, support and recreation services to people with MS.
"It wasn't easy," said Jan Glick, executive director of the therapy center, which opened in Jefferson in 1994. "We had to renovate. This building is smaller, but it's brighter and it's new."
She said officials at South Hills Health System, which needed the MS therapy location to consolidate some of its operations, helped with the relocation.
The new center, which opened Oct. 17, includes a brightly-lit reception area, offices for the staff of 22 licensed nurses and therapists, and therapy rooms for the 150 outpatients, their families and caregivers who use the center.
Another 295 clients are served in their homes by four society care workers. The center lost a few clients in the transition who encountered transporation problems in getting to the new site.
"Our mission has always been to provide comprehensive services for people in Western Pennsylvania diagnosed with MS," said Glick. "We are the only licensed facility for this purpose in the United States."
MS is a debilitating disease that attacks the neural system, causing loss of motor control and often speech. About 500,000 people in the United States have MS.
The therapy center provides physical therapy, for stretching and muscle toning; occupational therapy for maneuvering in various situations; social services, dealing with fear, denial and depression; educational sessions for outpatients and their families; and recreation, including group games, arts and crafts.
"We have a holistic approach to our services," Glick said. "We feel the medical is aided by the emotional, the spiritual. We treat the whole person."
Dan Brennan, 49, of Munhall, has had MS for 20 years. He has lost most control of his body and operates his wheelchair by moving his head.
"I worked in the Homestead steel mill and played lots of sports when it hit me," said Brennan, an outpatient at the therapy center. "It started with my eyes--my vision was blurred. Then I had a loss of balance. I knew something was off."
Brennan lived with MS for nine years before he got a proper diagnosis. "I thought I was all alone with this," he said.
He's found support and camaraderie at the MS center.
"These people have made my life something to look forward to. No, a cure hasn't been found, and I don't expect to gain control of my body. But, I've come to full acceptance of my situation, and it's changed me."
With a doctor's referral, an outpatient receives personalized therapy. The earlier the treatment, the better the outcome.
"Don't wait 'til you're in a wheelchair. Start your therapy today," said Laura Catalano, a licensed occupational therapist at the center.
A nonprofit operation, the MS Service Society is funded by contributions from foundations, corporations and the private sector. It is not a part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Clients pay a minimal fee per visit.
The Multiple Sclerosis Service Society therapy center is at 3005 Banksville Road. It is open 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The phone is 412-942-1011.
Mavis Logan is a free-lance writer who lives in Monroeville.
