POMONA, Calif. (December 22, 2010) - In its continued efforts to provide specialized services for adults suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation's Multiple Sclerosis Center is inviting the community and educators to attend a free seminar, "Living With Multiple Sclerosis," on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The seminar will be held at Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation's Tamkin Education Center, Building 1D, located at 255 East Bonita Avenue (at Garey) in Pomona.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, approximately 400,000 Americans have MS, and every week about 200 people are diagnosed. Worldwide, MS affects about 2.5 million people. It is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). MS is thought to be an autoimmune disorder which means the immune system incorrectly attacks the person's healthy tissue. It can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, blindness and more.

The seminar will feature presenters from the Casa Colina Multiple Sclerosis Center including: board-certified neurologist Richard Shubin, M.D., program medical director; Gail Hartley, nurse practitioner and MS certified nurse; and Kathy San Martino, physical therapist, neurological clinical specialist and MS certified specialist who will present the latest information on the following topics:

• New medications for MS patients
• Recent symptomatic and disease modifying treatments
• Rehabilitation tools and techniques that improve ambulation (i.e., aquatic therapy, Bioness technology, and Walk Aide)

In addition, participants will receive educational materials provided by the National MS Society as well as participate in a questions and answers session with the featured presenters.

Casa Colina created the Multiple Sclerosis Center to fit the specific needs of those with MS and it is the only facility of its kind in the area. The neurologist-led team of MS experts takes a comprehensive approach by examining all aspects of this disease that affect each individual - focusing on the diagnoses, aftercare, education and support of the patient and their family members. The Center's goals is to help improve the patient's quality of life while stabilizing the disease by exploring every possibility - from assistive devices to new medications, Botox treatments and innovative therapies.

For more information about the free community seminar and to reserve a seat, please visit www.casacolina.org or call (866) 724-4132.

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About Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation
Casa Colina began in 1936 in Chino under the leadership of its founder Frances Eleanor "Mother" Smith and neighboring physicians to provide rehabilitative care to children recovering from polio. Polio was at epidemic proportions and by the 1950s plans were developed to build a new hospital in Pomona where children could be cared for by experienced medical professionals. By 1960, when the new hospital was completed, the new polio vaccine had wiped out the disease. Casa Colina refocused its medical and physical rehabilitation services to concentrate on treating people of all ages and disabilities. In the last decade, it has rebuilt and renovated its entire 20-acre Pomona campus to include a state of the art rehabilitation hospital, outpatient center, transitional living center, children's center, adult day health care, imaging, surgery center and other specialized services treating 10,000 people a year. For more information, please visit www.casacolina.org.