St. Francis Hospital will hold a news conference from on Tuesday, April 1, in the hospital’s Woodruff Atrium to announce the opening of the St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center.
 With 80 percent of Americans facing back problems, the St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center will offer a one-stop facility to care for people with spine trouble.The center is affiliated with the St. Francis Orthopaedic Institute, which opened in August 2006.
 Physicians of the new center, including Dr. Thomas Walsh, Dr. William Adams and Dr. Bobbi Farber, will provide patients with a full range of both conservative and surgical care with the belief that all noninvasive approaches of treatment will be explored prior to surgical intervention.
The St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center brings together, for the first time in Columbus, a full partnership of diagnostics, physical therapy, interventional pain management, neurosurgery, orthopaedic spine surgery and long-term fitness programs. This allows the new center to offer one-of-a-kind spine care to the community, all under one roof. Most immediately, the new center will provide more comprehensive orthopaedic and neurological spine-related care coverage for residents of Columbus and the surrounding area.
“We intend to provide Columbus and the surrounding region with the best and most comprehensive spine management program,” says Thomas Walsh, MD. “Our center will enable us to provide an efficient, cost-effective, one-stop facility to care for people with spine trouble.” 
Presently, the St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center is actively recruiting and negotiating with an additional orthopaedic spine surgeon, a neuro surgeon, as well as a physiatrist, in order to provide the best care possible for patients. Future plans include adding at least five physicians with specialties in spine care.
“Integrating various specialists into a single practice is what makes the St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center unique to this area and to our patients,” says President and CEO Robert Granger.
Physicians at the St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center say that they decided to combine their efforts with St. Francis Hospital because of the similar goals shared by the two organizations and the efficiencies that will result from the joint venture.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to join St. Francis in this venture because, for the first time in this area, our community will have an opportunity to have all of their spine care needs met under one roof,” says William Adams, MD.