Doctors Medical Center establishes brain and spine center in Modesto

Doctors Medical Center of Modesto makes the bold claim that its Darroch Brain & Spine Institute is the leading neuroscience center in the region.

The hospital opened the center in January at 4016 Dale Road in Modesto, offering services not typically found in a health care market of Modesto’s size, such as deep-brain stimulation for treating patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Other services include implanted spinal cord stimulators for pain relief and an array of treatments for aneurisms, back problems, migraines, numbness and weakness.

The center brings together neurosurgeons David Bybee and Benjamin Remington, who have practices in Modesto, along with Gregory Helbig, who has 12 years in practice. The institute is named for Dr. John Darroch, a pioneer who brought neurosurgery to Modesto in 1965 and established a legacy of patient care, commitment to medical education and standards for health care.

Patients make appointments at the Dale Road center for evaluations and consultations. The surgeries and procedures are done at Doctors Medical Center on Florida Avenue.

Warren Kirk, chief executive officer at Doctors Medical Center, said during an open house last week that the neurosurgeons do more than elective surgeries. They also handle call responsibilities at the hospital for injured or sick patients brought to the emergency room in serious condition.

Serving a six-county area around Modesto, the hospital’s emergency department saw more than 100,000 patients last year and is certified as a primary center for treating stroke, one of the leading causes of death.

The Darroch center, next to the shopping center at Dale and Pelandale Avenue, plans to keep stretching its wings with pain management and neuro-oncology, which is treatment for patients with tumors of the brain and spinal cord.

The goal is to help patients recover from disabling injuries and debilitating pain so they can get their lives back on track.

“We are building on a program that was already here,” Kirk said.

Since 2004, Remington has done about 500 deep-brain stimulation procedures at Doctors Medical Center for patients with Parkinson’s disease, tremors, Tourette’s syndrome and similar disorders. The therapy is for people who are no longer responding well to medication for Parkinson’s and is known for dramatic results in some patients.

During the procedures, a pacemaker is implanted with electrodes that improve symptoms by delivering electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain. The therapy seems to block misfiring neurons that are causing the patient’s tremors and disabling symptoms.

For other patients, the surgeons can relieve the symptoms of herniated discs, pinched nerves and degenerative disorders. “People come to us with horrible pain, and we can make it better,” Remington said.

Scott Crisp, who once had 53,000 acres and 2,500 head of cattle in Calaveras County, was seriously injured when riding in a vehicle that was rear-ended by a semi in 2007. He suffered herniated and ruptured discs in his spinal column.

“I was lost. I could not stand up, couldn’t sit. I couldn’t sleep. I was in so much pain; it was horrible,” said Crisp, who attended the open house last week.

Crisp considered several options presented by Bybee and ultimately had surgery through the belly, which gave him three artificial discs and a fused tailbone. Crisp had to wait for a settlement from the trucking company before the surgery was performed in 2010, he said.

Crisp is disabled today. He teaches high school students to rope and prepare for rodeo competitions.

“I still have a little pain but not like it was. I am 1,000 percent better,” Crisp said.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Doctors Medical Center establishes brain and spine center in Modesto."