For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Cosentino
Director of Marketing & Communications
Phone: (212) 242-1968 x229
Email: ccosentino@hdsa.org
Huntington’s Disease Society of America Announces Forty-One 2017 HDSA Centers of Excellence
New York, NY (February 8, 2017) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is proud to announce that forty-one outstanding Huntington’s disease care facilities are being awarded the designation of HDSA Centers of Excellence for 2017.
The 2017 HDSA Centers of Excellence program expanded to 41 Centers from 39 last year, 29 in 2015 and 20 in 2014 – a more than 100 percent increase in four years. 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.
With the growth of the program, HDSA is bringing more ‘boots on the ground’ to support HD affected families across the United States with care locations in 29 States plus the District of Columbia. In addition, three Centers have partner sites to expand care in Oregon, North Dakota and South Dakota. This year, HDSA will be awarding a total of $1,159,750 to the Centers of Excellence program, an increase of $67,750 from last year.
“We are deeply committed to helping families with HD access experienced care,” said Louise Vetter, HDSA’s Chief Executive Officer. “The expansion of the HDSA Center of Excellence program to more than forty clinical care centers helps reduce the distance many families have to travel to find comprehensive HD services and increases access to 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, 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.
Ms. Vetter added, “HDSA Centers of Excellence share a common dedication to HD families. We are incredibly thankful to the clinical care teams who are able to provide incredible care with these modest awards and to the families whose generous support of HDSA’s mission make these awards possible.”
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.
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 2017 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 2017 HDSA Center of Excellence grantees are listed below alphabetically:
- Albany Medical College (NY)
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MA)
- Cleveland Clinic (OH)
- Colorado Neurological Institute
- Columbia Health Sciences/NYS Psychiatric Institute (NY)
- 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
- Rush University Medical Center (IL)
- University of Alabama, Birmingham
- University of California, Davis Medical Center
- 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 Miami (FL)
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA)
- University of Rochester (NY)
- University of South Florida
- University of Tennessee – Memphis
- 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)
