UPMC will close its Center for Integrative Medicine — which offers services like acupuncture, chiropractic therapy and medical hypnosis — after more than 25 years, the hospital system confirmed Wednesday.
The center in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood will stop offering services Nov. 1, a UPMC spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not say why it would close.
Located at the Shadyside Place building near UPMC Shadyside, the center combines “natural healing practices with conventional medicine” to treat conditions like anxiety, fibromyalgia, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and pain.
It was founded by Shadyside Hospital in 1997, the same year the hospital was integrated into the UPMC system, according to a 2022 newsletter by the center.
The newsletter said the center handled 8,000 clinical visits each year. It is also involved in medical education and research.
More than 20 specialists work at the center, among them Dr. Ronald Glick, who has served as its medical director for more than two decades.
“Patients come to the center seeking complementary and nonpharmacologic approaches to manage health conditions which have defied standard biomedical approaches,” the newsletter said. “Common problems include issues with pain, mental health, fatigue, and general health.”
A UPMC spokesperson said the closure is an “opportunity to step back and reevaluate how to deliver these services in a different model.”
“Our highest priority remains supporting patients during this transition and ensuring continuity of care,” UPMC said.
The center also offers specialists in the Alexander Technique, behavioral health, mindfulness-based stress reduction, massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, nutrition, structural integration, health coaching and yoga.
Allegheny Health Network — UPMC’s primary local rival — operates an integrative oncology division as part of its AHN Cancer Institute. The division offers oncology massages or acupuncture sessions as well as other therapies, according to AHN’s website.