Less than a year ago, Auburn Memorial Hospital's orthopedics department was almost nonexistent. Hospital officials were preparing to lose all but one doctor, and many local residents who needed those services were forced to go to medical centers outside of the area.

Fast forward to today, and you'll see Auburn Orthopaedic Specialists, a robust practice run by AMH. As the hospital has started turning itself around, recovering from financial issues and emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it has began focusing on specialized services. One of the first of those is orthopedics.

AMH recently announced the addition of four new doctors to Auburn Orthopaedic Specialists: Lance Peters, Stephanie Roach, Bruce Greene and Eldridge Anderson. The group joins the existing staff of Thomas Sullivan, Kathi Teixeira and Richard Byrne.

According to AMH President and CEO Scott Berlucchi, the thriving department is a sign of things to come throughout the hospital.

“To grow your volume, you have to bring the patients back that you used to have,” Berlucchi said. “You need to recruit doctors and replace the ones you lost. This is really the beginning of it.”

Orthopedic surgeons specialize in the area of medicine that focuses on musculoskeletal system. This includes diagnosing and treating disorders involving the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves. Orthopedic surgeons commonly deal with a wide range of issues from sprains, fractures and tendon injuries to osteoporosis.

According to Berlucchi, recruiting quality doctors is a key priority during the hospital's recovery. AMH's new orthopedic surgeons specialize in a number of areas, including hand injuries, sports medicine and arthritis.

“The more quality specialists are willing to come, the more this community gains confidence in the institution,” Berlucchi said. “All that translates into a very positive energy with the hospital.”

One in seven Americans has a musculoskeletal impairment, and such symptoms were the number-two reason for physician visits in the United States during 2003, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

And yet, Berlucchi said Auburn Memorial had let its specialized departments like orthopaedics dwindle over the years. In the 1990s, the hospital had a great variety of specialists, he said. But between 2000 and 2004, many of them retired and moved out of the area. Consequently, Auburn residents who needed care for breaks, strains and tears were seeking it in cities like Syracuse, he said.

“The hospital saw a dwindling volume in what is basically our core business,” Berlucchi said. “Our patients were going outside of the area for orthopedic care because we didn't have enough specialists readily available.”

When looking for orthopedic surgeons to bring to AMH, Berlucchi said he did not want to look too far out of the area. The goal was to find doctors in central New York who would not have to undergo major reallocations. And there were plenty around, he said. After all, locals were going somewhere for care.

“I just find the doctors we were already traveling miles to see,” Berlucchi said. “Rather than 30 of us driving 30 miles to Syracuse to see someone, why not have the person drive 30 miles out here to see us? Sometimes things work because they are very simple.”

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net

Dr. Stephanie S. Roach

Roach is board certified in orthopedic surgery with interest in upper extremities and general orthopedics. She is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the hand. She is also a fellow of the American

Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a lecturer at the Ithaca Collage School of Allied Health.

Roach attended the University of Rochester for her bachelor's degree and then earned her M.D. and finished a residency at SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse. She also completed a fellowship for upper extremity at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dr. Bruce L. Greene

Along with his new home at Auburn Orthopaedic Specialists, Greene is also associated with Ithaca Orthopaedic Group, P.C. He has been the chairman of Cayuga Medical's orthopedic surgery department and is board certified in orthopedic surgery.

Greene attended Yale University for his bachelor's degree and earned his M.D. at Rutgers Medical School in New Jersey. He finished his residency in both general surgery and orthopedics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and earned a fellowship in sports medicine at Case Sestern Reserve University's orthopedics department in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Eldridge T. Anderson

Anderson specializes in general orthopedics and sports medicine, and he is an adjunct professor of sports medicine and physiology at the Ithaca College School of Allied Health.

He earned board certification in orthopedic surgery and is an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons fellow.

Anderson attended Ithaca College for his bachelor's degree in physical therapy, and he worked in the field before attending Columbia University for post-graduate work. He earned his M.D. from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey before interning at the University of Colorado Presbyterian Medical Center in Denver. He completed his residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Dr. Lance Peters

Before joining Auburn Memorial Hospital, Peters had practiced in Binghamton and Ithaca. He specializes in hip and knee joint replacement and general orthopedics.

He is board certified, as well as an American Academy of Orthopaedic

Surgeon fellow.

Peters studied biological engineering at Cornell University for his bachelor's degree and earned his M.D. at Cornell's Weill Medical College. He completed an orthopedic training program at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, as well as a two-year fellowship biomedical engineering and adult reconstructive surgery.