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Parkinson's Foundation Announces Major Global Care Network Expansion

NEW YORK and MIAMI, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Foundation has announced the expansion of its Global Care Network in the U.S. with the addition of four Centers of Excellence and six Comprehensive Care Centers. The expansion aims to increase access to high-quality Parkinson's disease (PD) care nationwide and to recognize those Centers that are providing excellent care within a broad geographic region.

The number of people living with Parkinson's in the U.S. is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. Currently, care for people with PD is highly varied and comprehensive care is not widely available. Nearly 40 percent of people with PD do not receive care from a clinician with advanced neurological disease and disorders training. A central priority of the Foundation is to ensure that all people with PD can obtain the care and support they need to improve their health and quality of life.

"This expansion of the Global Care Network is part of a broader strategy to recognize excellence in clinical care, develop a global network of interconnected clinicians, and raise the standard of care for all those living with PD," said John L. Lehr, Parkinson's Foundation President and CEO. "We are interested in recognizing centers in the U.S. that are leading Parkinson's care and bringing forward new treatments and practices that are improving patient outcomes."

Both Centers of Excellence and Comprehensive Care Centers must demonstrate exemplary multidisciplinary care, with Centers of Excellence playing a vital role in leading the PD field in advancing research. A Center of Excellence is a medical center with a specialized team of neurologists, movement disorder specialists, physical and occupational therapists, mental health professionals, and others who are up to date on the latest PD medications, therapies, and research to provide the best care. The four newly designated Centers of Excellence in the U.S. include:

  • Cleveland Clinic Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, NH)
  • The University of Utah (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)

The Foundation's Comprehensive Care Center designation also recognizes medical centers that excel in utilizing a specialized, multidisciplinary team approach to provide the highest level of evidence-based, patient-centered care; demonstrate leadership in professional training; and conduct impactful patient education and community outreach. Each of the six new centers reaches a new market, including the first-ever locations in the states of Michigan, Hawaii, Louisiana, Connecticut and Arkansas. The newly designated Comprehensive Care Centers include:

  • Spectrum Health (Grand Rapids, MI)
  • Queens Medical Center (Honolulu, Hawaii)
  • Ochsner Neuroscience Institute (New Orleans, LA)
  • Hartford HealthCare (Hartford, CT)
  • University of Tennessee Medical Center (Knoxville, TN)
  • University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (Little Rock, AR)

"Following a rigorous process to receive this designation, we are thrilled to be the first-ever Comprehensive Care Center in the Gulf Coast region," said Dr. David J. Houghton, Ochsner Neuroscience Institute Medical Director. "We are proud to join this larger network of high-quality sites that actively make a difference in communities by providing comprehensive care to people with Parkinson's disease."

Every center must recertify after five years to ensure requisite standards of care. For a complete listing of Centers of Excellence and Comprehensive Care Centers, visit Parkinson.org/Network. 

About the Parkinson's Foundation
The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. Since 1957, the Parkinson's Foundation has invested more than $400 million in Parkinson's research and clinical care. Connect with us on Parkinson.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).

About Parkinson's Disease
Affecting an estimated one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the U.S. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. alone.

Media Contact:
Marissa Cruz
Parkinson's Foundation
mcruz@parkinson.org
305-537-9926
Parkinson.org

SOURCE Parkinson's Foundation