Grande Ronde Hospital | Life & Health | Winter 2020-2021

Leslie Jackson, MD, FACP, FACR WINTER 2020–2021 GRH Specialty Clinic now offers rheumatology services In September, Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics welcomed Leslie Jackson, MD, FACP, FACR, to the GRH Specialty Clinic team. Dr. Jackson is a board- certified rheumatologist who has been in practice since 1996. She comes to us from Baker City. Dr. Jackson believes in collabora- tion between providers and with her patients. When asked about her care philosophy, she responds that it is the relationship built over time between patient and doctor that matters. “Caring for patients requires innova- tive, personalized care tailored to their life. Working together, we will address their concerns to achieve excellence in their health care, which directly translates into an improved quality of life,” she says. A longtime resident of Eastern Oregon, she loves our rural way of life: gardening, canning, cooking and cattle ranching! In fact, Dr. Jackson and her husband have twin boys and operate a cattle ranch. “We have ranched in the Halfway Richland area since 2005,” she says. Dr. Jackson is also a veteran officer of the U.S. Army with 21 years of service as a physician, medical instructor and preceptor, as well as a variety of other professional positions while in the military. Dr. Jackson treats the following rheumatology conditions: ● Osteoarthritis ● Gout/pseudogout ● Rheumatoid arthritis ● Psoriatic arthritis ● Inflammatory back pain ● Tendinitis/bursitis/myofascial pain ● Systemic lupus erythematosus ● Sjögren’s syndrome ● Scleroderma ● Polymyalgia rheumatica ● Inflammatory muscle disease ● Vasculitis And she performs the following procedures: ● Joint drainage ● Myofascial trigger point injections ● Steroid injection of the joints ● Viscosupplementation with hyal- uronic acid Dr. Jackson’s office is located on the first floor of the Regional Medical Plaza, 710 Sunset Drive, La Grande. She may be reached about appoint- ment availability by calling the clinic at 541-663-3000 . Find out more by visiting grh.org/rheumatology . What is a rheumatologist? A rheumatologist is a physician who has undergone formal training in rheumatology. Rheumatology is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Further, it is defined as the study of rheumatism; arthritis; and other disorders of the joints, muscles and ligaments. Interestingly, the word rheumatology comes from the Greek words for “flowing current.” Rheumatology is the study of any disease marked by inflammation and pain in the joints, muscles or fibrous tissue, especially rheumatoid arthritis. A rheumatologist deals mainly with immune-mediated disorders of the musculoskeletal system and soft tissues, autoimmune diseases (including those characterized by inflammation of blood vessels, called vasculitides), and inherited connective tissue disorders.