New Grant Medical Center Offers Advanced Treatment of Musculoskeletal Diseases

    COLUMBUS, OH, February 01, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Board-certified and fellowship-trained rheumatologists Seth Kantor, MD, and Heather Lake, DO, joined Grant Medical Center and the OhioHealth Medical Specialty Foundation to open a practice dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and medical management of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles and bones.

The Grant Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, opened August 10, 2009, offers state-of-the-art care to patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, musculoskeletal pain and connective tissue disorders. There are more than 100 types of these conditions, including lupus, gout, back pain and tendonitis.

"Our goal is to help patients maintain and improve function so their quality of life is the best it can be," Kantor said. "It is important to us to treat people not diseases. Our focus is to improve quality of life for people with rheumatic diseases. We intend to emphasize a family atmosphere in the way we treat both our patients and associates."

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of arthritis triggered by the immune system. It affects 1.3 million Americans, according to the American College of Rheumatology. Inflammatory arthritis and other autoimmune diseases often play a role in the development of osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones become fragile and more likely to break. Ten million Americans, including eight million women, have osteoporosis and another 34 million are at risk, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Kantor and Lake bring the expertise to Grant Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center to correctly diagnose these conditions and provide the most advanced treatments.
The Center offers in-office infusion therapy to intravenously administer a new generation of drugs, called biologic agents, which target specific parts of the immune system to reduce inflammation, joint and tissue damage from rheumatoid arthritis while mitigating their effect on healthy organs.

"Compared to previous medications, these agents are miracle drugs," said Kantor, a nationally known expert on their development and use. "They are the wave of the future and new ones are coming out all the time. They give people their lives back."

Lake, who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 12 years ago, has experienced first-hand, the benefits of these new medications. "They really have changed the face of arthritis treatment," she said. "We can get patients on them right away to prevent deformities and fractures."

The Center, which also offers in-office bone mineral density scans, is eagerly anticipating the introduction of a new bone-forming biologic agent, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, for the treatment of osteoporosis. With the research backgrounds of its partners, the Center will enroll patients in clinical trials for leading-edge treatments and symptom management for rheumatic disorders, and work with Grant's trauma surgeons to develop new programs for the prevention and treatment of hip fractures.

The Center gives Kantor and Lake the ability to coordinate care with orthopedics, sports medicine, trauma, podiatry, physical therapy and other existing Grant services. "We can follow patients through all different areas of their treatment and rehabilitation," Lake said.

With more than 20 years of clinical experience in central Ohio, Kantor is professor emeritus at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and a nationally- and internationally-known speaker and researcher about therapeutics in rheumatic diseases.

Lake is the only osteopathic rheumatologist in central Ohio. She completed her rheumatology fellowship in June of 2009 at The Ohio State University Hospitals, where she trained under Kantor in patient care and clinical research.

"We welcome the opportunity to join Grant's nationally-recognized orthopedic program to create an entire musculoskeletal center that provides comprehensive and continuous care to patients with arthritis and a variety of other conditions," Lake said.

The practice is located on the Grant campus at 285 E. State Street, Suite 620, but is also seeing patients one day a week at Westerville Medical Campus. For more information, visit www.grantarthritis.com.

About Medical Specialty Foundation
The OhioHealth Medical Specialty Foundation employs more than 200 physicians in primary care and a wide range of specialties, giving patients access to one of the leading health systems in the nation. Members of the OhioHealth Medical Specialty Foundation serve on the medical staffs of OhioHealth's hospitals. Physicians in the Foundation collaborate closely with each other and their colleagues at OhioHealth's inpatient and outpatient care sites to develop the strategies and plans that result in patients receiving a comprehensive range of accessible, expert care.

The OhioHealth Medical Specialty Foundation was created with the patient in mind. The goal was to create an infrastructure that fosters and enables the delivery of the highest quality, most effective healthcare available. A seamless partnership with physicians helps us fulfill our mission to "improve the health of those we serve."

About OhioHealth
OhioHealth, named by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and 2010 is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare organization serving and supported by the community. Based in Columbus, Ohio, it is a family of 18 hospitals, 23 health and surgery centers, home-health providers, medical equipment and health service suppliers throughout a 40-county area. OhioHealth hospitals in central Ohio are Riverside Methodist Hospital, Grant Medical Center, Doctors Hospital, Grady Memorial Hospital and Dublin Methodist Hospital. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.ohiohealth.com.

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