New York, NY (February 6, 2019) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is proud to announce that forty-seven outstanding Huntington’s disease care facilities are being awarded the designation of HDSA Centers of Excellence for 2019.
The 2019 HDSA Centers of Excellence program expanded to 47 Centers from 43 in 2018, and from just 20 in 2015. The four new Centers of Excellence are: OSF-Illinois Neurological Institute, Sanford Health (North Dakota), University of Buffalo (New York) and University of California, Irvine. The HDSA Centers of Excellence are multi-disciplinary care teams with expertise in Huntington’s disease that share an exemplary commitment to bringing comprehensive care.
The strategic expansion of the Center of Excellence program allows HDSA to increase access to expert HD clinical care and clinical trial opportunities to more families across the United States. With new Centers in California, Illinois, New York and North Dakota, HDSA now offers care locations in 31 States plus the District of Columbia. This year, HDSA will be awarding a total of $1,418,684 to the Centers of Excellence program, an almost eleven percent increase in funding from last year.
“HDSA is deeply committed to helping families affected by Huntington’s disease have access to experienced and family-focused care,” said Louise Vetter, HDSA’s President & Chief Executive Officer. “The recognition of new Centers of Excellence means that more families will benefit from comprehensive care and the life-changing treatment and research opportunities that drive us forward towards finding a cure for this disease.”
The HDSA Centers of Excellence provide an elite team approach to Huntington’s disease care and research. Patients benefit from expert neurologists, psychiatrists, social workers, therapists, counselors and other professionals who have extensive experience working with families affected by HD and who work collaboratively to help families plan the best HD care program throughout the course of the disease. Applications to become an HDSA Center of Excellence are open to all clinics in the United States who share HDSA’s commitment to high-quality, comprehensive care and access to clinical research.
Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes HD. Today, there are approximately 30,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease. The symptoms of HD are described as having, ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously.
Ms. Vetter added, “HDSA Centers of Excellence share a common dedication to the HD community. We are incredibly grateful to these clinical care teams who go above and beyond to provide compassionate care with these modest awards, and we are thankful for the families whose generous support of HDSA’s mission make these awards possible.”
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by HD. From community services and education to advocacy and research, HDSA is the world’s leader in providing help for today, hope for tomorrow for people with HD and their families. Support for the 2019 HDSA Centers of Excellence was made possible in part by the generosity of the Griffin Foundation.
To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit www.HDSA.org or call (800) 345-HDSA.
The 2019 HDSA Center of Excellence grantees are listed below alphabetically. For more information about the HDSA Centers of Excellence program please visit www.HDSA.org/coe
- Albany Medical College (NY)
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MA)
- Cleveland Clinic (OH)
- Columbia Health Sciences/NYS Psychiatric Institute (NY)
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (NH)
- Duke University (NC)
- Emory University (GA)
- Georgetown University (DC)
- Hennepin County Medical Center (MN)
- Indiana University
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Northwestern University (IL)
- Ochsner Health System (LA)
- Ohio State University
- OSF-Illinois Neurological Institute
- Rocky Mountain Movement Disorders Clinic (CO)
- Rush University Medical Center (IL)
- Sanford Health (ND)
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of Alabama, Birmingham
- University of Buffalo (NY)
- University of California, Davis Medical Center
- University of California, Irvine
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, San Diego
- University of California, San Francisco
- University of Colorado
- University of Florida
- University of Iowa
- University of Louisville (KY)
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA)
- University of Rochester (NY)
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of South Florida
- University of Texas Health Science Center- Houston
- University of Utah
- University of Vermont, Frederick Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders
- University of Virginia
- University of Washington (WA)
- University of Wisconsin
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (TN)
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Washington University School of Medicine (MO)
- Wesley Neurology (TN)
Level 1 Partner HD Clinics
- Kaiser Permanente (CA)
- Oregon Health Sciences University
- Cole Neuroscience Center, University of Tennessee Medical Center
- University of Tennessee, Erlanger Medical Center
- University of Mississippi Medical Center
- University of South Alabama
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For Media Inquiries
Contact: Christopher Cosentino, Director of Marketing & Communications
Phone: (212) 242-1968 x229
Email: ccosentino@hdsa.org
