MGH brain & spine conference

Health care professionals from around the Upper Peninsula met in Marquette to learn more about brain and spine care.

Marquette General Hospital hosted its annual Brain & Spine Conference.

All human activity is controlled by the brain and spinal cord, so the conference is a valuable tool to provide Upper Peninsula residents with the best central nervous system care.

“I think it’s invaluable to talk as a group and to talk as a community, thinking of ourselves as an entire population, and thinking about how to coordinate our care,” Marquette General vascular neurologist Dr. Karl Meisel said. “There’s fifteen hospitals in the Upper Peninsula.”

The topics included headaches, concussion management and multiple sclerosis.

The Marquette General Stroke Team, which Dr. Meisel is part of, also held a round table discussion on “how to take care of the entire population of the Upper Peninsula and reducing their risk of having a stroke, what to do if they have a stroke and how to improve their outcomes once they do have a stroke,” he said.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan sponsors the conference each year.

Blue Cross has also given MGH the 2013 Blue Distinction for Spine Surgery.