Neuroscience Center takes shape at Sharp Grossmont Hospital

For patients in need of advanced neurosurgical, neurological, head, neck and comprehensive spine care, the Sharp Grossmont Hospital Neuroscience Center is set to open in spring 2024, making it the only such center of its kind in the greater San Diego area.

Sharp Grossmont broke ground on the Neuroscience Center in August 2022. The center is part of Sharp’s ENVISION campaign, a $2 billion, 10-year visionary effort to meet San Diego’s health care needs of the future. To create this state-of-the-art, $58.2 million neuroscience facility, the Grossmont Hospital Foundation is committed to raising $10 million, a goal which has been buoyed by a host of donations that includes a $4 million matching grant by the Grossmont Healthcare District.

A specialized, world-class facility

For patients suffering from strokes, brain tumors, movement disorders, spinal injury and other neurological conditions (conditions affecting the brain, spine and nerves), the Neuroscience Center will feature multidisciplinary, comprehensive care, as well as general neurological diagnosis and treatment. The center will feature a 16-bed intensive care unit, a 16-bed progressive care unit and an 18-bed inpatient rehab unit, where patients are treated on their path to recovery.

Dr. Perry Mansfield is an ear, nose and throat specialist and surgeon affiliated with Sharp Grossmont Hospital, who specializes in treating the most complex diseases of the head and neck. He is also the co-chairman of the Grossmont Hospital Foundation’s neuroscience campaign. Dr. Mansfield is one of the Neuroscience Center’s biggest champions and says Sharp has the recipe necessary to launch such a specialized, world-class facility.

“You need the infrastructure to build it, operating capital, physician expertise and leadership,” says Dr. Mansfield. “All four of them had to align to make something like this come true, and we’re very blessed that Sharp has the leadership it does to make this center come to life.”

Cutting-edge specialty services

The Neuroscience Center will expand the cutting-edge specialty services that Sharp Grossmont already offers to East County patients and the rest of San Diego County. In 2022, the hospital received recertification from The Joint Commission (TJC) as a Comprehensive Stroke Center — the highest designation given by TJC in association with the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The stroke center’s success and certification make Sharp Grossmont a natural destination for the Neurosciences Center.

While construction of the center continues, Sharp Grossmont has already begun ramping up neurological and neurosurgical treatments it provides to patients. One such treatment is deep brain stimulation, a neurosurgical procedure for patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, essential tremor (a nervous system disorder that causes shaking) and other conditions. In addition, Sharp Grossmont will soon be introducing focused ultrasound treatment, a minimally invasive treatment for patients with essential tremor.

A continuum of care across specialties

The Neuroscience Center will be a collaboration of many specialties that come together to treat patients from all angles, including physical rehabilitation, speech and swallow therapies, neuro, intensive care and other services.

“We’ll also be able to provide unique and often hard-to-find expertise in specialty areas such as medical neuro oncology, neuro ophthalmology, head and neck cancer, brain tumor surgery and exovascular and endovascular neurosurgery,” says Dr. Mansfield.

Having this continuum of care in one collaborative center is critical and will be life-changing for Sharp’s patients, Dr. Mansfield says. “These integrated, specialized services will allow us to act as a beating heart under one roof to create the best experience for our patients.”