By KIM ESTES, Four Points News

Greater Austin Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is now Sneeze Allergy & Cough Centers, and the local doctor-owners have expanded the practice beyond Austin to other Texas cities and to California.

Dr. Henry Legere III, of Long Canyon, founded the practice five years ago and recently changed its name because it has expanded beyond its Austin locations including River Place, Westlake, Oak Hill, and its newest office in Bee Cave at the Hill Country Galleria, to San Marcos and San Antonio and an office in Los Angeles.

There are now 14 Sneeze Centers served by 12 allergists, one nurse practitioner and two physician assistants. Patients of all ages are welcome. “The youngest patient I’ve seen was four-months-old and the oldest was 93,” said Dr. Eric Schultz.

Seasonal allergies are the most common complaint at the local clinic located in the Arise Medical Tower at 6611 River Place Blvd., Suite 305.

Services at Sneeze Centers include testing and treatment. Most testing is now needle-free. On the treatment side, the list is long and includes help for allergies to foods, insects, medications (including chemotherapy), latex, and cosmetics as well as relief for hives, hay fever, asthma, dermatitis and sinusitis.

“The telltale sign of an allergic reaction is something that happens outside the normal, an abrupt change such as you eat something and suddenly get a rash or feel swelling in your throat,” said Dr. Ronald Cox.

“There are a lot of (treatment) options so people don’t have to suffer,” he added. “The leading cause of lost work time and lost school days in America is allergies.”

Dr. Henry Legere III

In 2010, Legere started Greater Austin Allergy and Immunology with one location in Westlake. He grew up in the Austin and San Antonio areas and returned after 20 years of training and education.

He received his MD from Columbia University and completed his fellowship at Harvard Medical School. After his fellowship, Legere became a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School and served as a staff physician at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and MIT Medical in Cambridge.

Legere’s wife, Dr. Claudia Legere, worked as a family practice physician at Steiner Ranch Primary Care for five years before starting her own business, Door to Door Med Spa, last summer.

The Legeres and their two daughters have lived in Long Canyon since 2009. Prior to moving to Austin, they lived in Boston.

Dr. Ronald Cox

Cox moved to Austin from Dayton, Ohio in 2009. He was in private practice, but had often visited friends here before deciding to relocate to the warmer, Texas climate and, ultimately, join Legere’s practice.

He lives in Steiner Ranch with his wife, Suz, and their 18-year-old daughter, Carly, a senior at Vandegrift High School. The couple also has a 21-year-old daughter, Cody, and a 20-year-old son, Connor. Both are enrolled at Texas Christian University.

Cox earned his medical degree at the University of Kansas Medical School, and completed an internship in general surgery and a residency in internal medicine at Mt. Carmel Medical Center in Ohio. He is board certified in Allergy and Immunology and Internal Medicine.

Dr. Eric Schultz

In a move to join his friend Legere, Schultz came to Austin from Orange, Calif. in 2010, where he was on staff at Children’s Hospital of Orange County and a professor in the pediatric department of the University of California, Irvine.

He also lives in Steiner Ranch with his wife, Domenica, and their daughter, 10-year-old Sophia, and son, 8-year-old Baelen, both students at River Ridge Elementary School. Their 5-year-old son, Asher, is a student at School of the Hills.

He earned a doctor of osteopathic medicine from Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, Calif. as well as a master’s in public health from California State University, San Diego. He completed a pediatric residency at the University of California, Irvine, and a neonatal-perinatal intensive care fellowship at Duke University. He is board certified in both neonatal/perinatal intensive care and pediatrics.

“The neonatal background helps bridge the gap between understanding the development of lung disease (especially asthma) as it progresses from infants to children to adults,” Schultz said.

For more information, call the Sneeze Allergy & Cough Centers at (512) 732-2774 or visit the website, www.sneeze.com.