Mercy has welcomed a new neurosurgical team that can treat patients with serious neurological illnesses and injuries who formerly had to be sent elsewhere for treatment.
Dr. Alejandro Castellvi and nurse practitioner Paula Stephens join Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery – Physicians Plaza, treating patients in the clinic and hospital setting and performing life-saving and life-changing neurosurgery at Mercy Hospital.
Castellvi said it makes a big difference for patients to be able to stay in the community for treatment because of the need for follow-up and continuity of care.
“Keeping patients in the community is beneficial for patients and their families,” he said. “I’m excited to be able to offer a higher level of care that hasn’t been available in this community for several years.”
Stephens concurred that keeping patients in the community can improve outcomes and makes treatment easier for both the patient and their loved ones.
Castellvi earned a medical degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in Grand Cayman, British West Indies. He completed a residency in neurosurgery and a fellowship in complex spine surgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Stephens has worked in neurosurgical medicine since 2009. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Gerontology from the University of Arkansas. She is board-certified as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. She also has experience in trauma and intensive care.