Jackson Health System's 2026 Report to the Community.
Advanced surgical techniques are transforming patients' lives
After years of painful arthritic knees, Mariela Lopez turned to Jeffrey Alan Rich, DO, an orthopedic surgeon at Jackson South Medical Center. Dr. Rich uses a specialized knee replacement technique that follows each patient's natural alignment, rather than forcing a perfectly straight mechanical alignment. Mariela had both knees replaced and is looking forward to getting back to the activities she loves.
"With measured kinematic alignment, you're putting the knee back in the position they were born with."
- Dr. Jeffrey Alan Rich
Read Mariela's journey to pain-free knees.
Spinal tether surgery is game changer for teens with scoliosis
Brian Grottkau, M.D., chief of pediatric orthopedics and pediatric surgical services at Holtz Children's Hospital has helped many scoliosis patients with vertebral body tethering (VBT) surgery because it uses a flexible tether to guide the spine and maintain flexibility as the child grows.
When 15-year-old Deidre Romer, from the Bahamas, came to see Dr. Grottkau, he determined she needed the tethering in her lower back and a spinal fusion for her upper/mid back.
Dr. Grottkau and his team performed the specialized spinal procedure combining the fusion and tether technique. Deidre became the first patient at Holtz Children's to receive a hybrid tether surgery.
VINNER
Deidre is back to the life of a normal teenager.