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Duke Integrative Medicine Opens First-of-Its-Kind Center Dedicated to Treating the Whole Person - Body, Mind and Spirit

Posted on: Thursday, 30 November 2006, 12:01 CST

DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Integrative Medicine on Thursday officially opened a first-of-its-kind medical building dedicated solely to the practice of integrative medicine. The new facility will operate as a "living laboratory" to explore and demonstrate innovative models of care by offering patients a new approach to treating the whole person, officials said.

"Duke is a true pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. We have an opportunity to look at patients from the whole-person concept, and not just as molecules and cells," said Victor J. Dzau, MD, chancellor for health affairs and president and CEO of the Duke University Health System. "Duke Integrative Medicine will allow Duke to develop a new form of care and train the next generation of health care providers who will believe in and practice this approach. Our vision is to make this model of care available to all patients, regardless of their socio-economic status."

Whether suffering from a chronic condition, recovering from surgery or wanting to learn about healthy aging, Duke Integrative Medicine offers a variety of paths to personalized health planning and coaching to help patients reach an optimal level of health. Patients and members of the community can visit the center for a comprehensive health assessment, individual therapeutic treatments or to attend educational workshops and seminars on a variety of health-related topics, including the center's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programs.

"We believe there is a powerful relationship between the mind, body, spirit and community and we want to shift the focus of medical care to a health orientation rather than a disease-based model of care," said Tracy W. Gaudet, MD, executive director of Duke Integrative Medicine and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Medical Center. "The research, education and clinical work we conduct here will explore new ways of strengthening today's health care system, and demonstrate that when patients and providers work together to address the whole person, patients heal faster and more effectively reach their optimal level of health."

The $11 million for the building was funded entirely by the Christy and John Mack Foundation. The foundation president, Christy Mack, will chair the National Board of Advisors for Duke Integrative Medicine. She is the co- founder and president of The Bravewell Collaborative, and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. John Mack is chairman and chief executive officer for Morgan Stanley. He is a graduate of Duke University and a member of the Duke Board of Trustees.

"Integrative medicine is the care of health, not just the management of disease," said Christy Mack. "It is patient-centered care administered in a healing partnership between the patient and the health care provider. Within this healing partnership, the patient becomes educated, empowered, proactive and responsible for his own health and wellness. That is Duke Integrative Medicine's promise, and we are honored to be a part of it."

Designed by Duda/Paine Architects in Durham, the 27,000-plus square foot building is strategically located in close proximity to medical and educational facilities and is situated next to the Duke Forest.

"We designed this place to embrace and serve a health care experience that is unlike any other," said Turan Duda, partner, Duda/Paine Architects. "How society defines wellness is changing. The visionaries behind Duke's carefully crafted integrative medicine program have taken this transformation to its logical conclusion. Our mission as architects has been to forge a similar paradigm shift to create a new kind of facility."

The building features a variety of rooms -- from sun-filled and grand to intimate and sheltering -- that are tailored to the treatments and healing work that will take place in them, Duda said. Included are a sitting room/library and indoor and outdoor meditation spaces, as well as therapeutic treatment rooms, conference and workshop spaces, fitness facilities, and a state-of-the-art kitchen for healthy cooking demonstrations and guest meals. The building and grounds are integrated to create a sense of connectedness between the indoor spaces and the surrounding woodlands and streams of the Duke Forest, he added.

The building is located on the Duke Medicine Center for Living campus in Durham. Staff at the center includes practitioners in family medicine, psychiatry, pediatric care, obstetrics and gynecology, nutrition, acupuncture and massage therapy. Professional chefs, physical trainers, psychologists and health coaches are also part of the team.

For more information, contact Chris Yankee at 919-684-9821, Alisa Harrison, APCO Worldwide at 202-778-1487 or visit http://www.dukeintegrativemedicine.com/

Duke Integrative Medicine

CONTACT: Chris Yankee, +1-919-684-9821, or Alisa Harrison of APCOWorldwide, +1-202-778-1487

Web site: http://www.dukeintegrativemedicine.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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