HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE SOCIETY OF AMERICA AWARDS NEARLY $1.9 MILLION TO NETWORK OF FIFTY-FIVE HDSA CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
New York, NY (February 9, 2022) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is proud to announce that fifty-five outstanding Huntington’s disease care facilities are being awarded the designation of HDSA Centers of Excellence for 2022. In addition to the 55 grant funded clinics, ten regional partner sites were also named ensuring expert HD care at 65 distinct medical facilities in 35 states across the nation. This year, $1,896,333 has been awarded to the HDSA Centers of Excellence program.
The HDSA Centers of Excellence are multi-disciplinary care teams with expertise in Huntington’s disease that share an exemplary commitment to providing comprehensive care for this complex, hereditary, neurodegenerative disease. The expansion from 54 sites in 2021 to 55 sites in 2022 comes from the addition of Oregon Health & Science University as the newest HDSA awarded clinic. Launched in 1998, the HDSA Center of Excellence network has grown from 20 sites as recently as 2015.
In addition, the HDSA Center of Excellence network expanded from eight partner sites in 2021 to 10 in 2022. The designated ten Partner Sites are: University of South Alabama, Kaiser Permanente (CA), St. Luke’s University Health Network (Bethlehem, PA), Central Florida Center for Huntington’s Disease (Winter Park and Orlando, FL), Covenant Medical Group Neurology (Lubbock, TX), Texas Movement Disorders Specialist PLLC, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Selkirk Neurology, (Spokane, WA), Cole Neuroscience Center (University of Tennessee Medical Center) and University of Tennessee (Erlanger Medical Center).
“The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is committed to supporting the best possible care for families affected by Huntington’s disease,” said Dr. Victor Sung, Chair of HDSA’s National Board of Trustees and Director of the HDSA Center of Excellence at The University of Alabama, Birmingham. “Continuing to expand the reach of the HDSA Centers of Excellence network allows more families across the country to have access to these world-class clinics.”
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.
Louise Vetter, President & CEO of HDSA added, “We are thankful for the incredible work that the clinics provide HD families. It is because of the generosity of the HD community and our partners that we are able to continue to expand and support the very best in HD care.”
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 41,000 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 2022 HDSA CENTER OF EXCELLENCE GRANTEES ARE LISTED BELOW ALPHABETICALLY:
BOLD = Newly designated Center of Excellence for 2022
Albany Medical College (NY)
Barrow Neurological Institute (AZ)
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MA)
Cleveland Clinic (OH)
Columbia Health Sciences/NYS Psychiatric Institute (NY)
Duke University (NC)
Emory University (GA)
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (DC)
Hennepin Health Care (MN)
Henry Ford Hospital (MI)
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Massachusetts General Hospital
Medical University of South Carolina
Northwestern University (IL)
Ochsner Health System (LA)
Ohio State University
Oregon Health & Science University
Rocky Mountain Movement Disorders Clinic (CO)
Rowan University School of Medicine & Rutgers University RWJ Medical School (NJ)
Rush University Medical Center (IL)
Sanford Health (ND)
Stanford University (CA)
Stony Brook University Hospital (NY)
University of Alabama, Birmingham
-Partner site: University of South Alabama
University of Arkansas
University at Buffalo (NY)
University of California, Davis Medical Center
-Partner site: Kaiser Permanente (CA)
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Francisco
University of Cincinnati (OH)
University of Colorado
University of Florida
University of Iowa
University of Kansas Medical Center
University of Louisville (KY)
University of Miami (FL)
University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Nebraska Medical Center
University of Pennsylvania
-Partner site: St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem, PA
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA)
University of Rochester (NY)
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
University of South Florida
-Partner site: Central Florida Center for Huntington’s Disease, Winter Park and Orlando, FL
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School
-Partner site: Covenant Medical Group Neurology, Lubbock, TX
-Partner site: Texas Movement Disorders Specialist, PLLC
-Partner site: University of Texas Health San Antonio
University of Utah
University of Vermont, Frederick Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders
University of Virginia
University of Washington (WA)
-Partner site: Selkirk Neurology, Spokane, WA
University of Wisconsin
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (TN)
-Partner site: Cole Neuroscience Center, University of Tennessee Medical Center
-Partner site: University of Tennessee, Erlanger Medical Center
Virginia Commonwealth University
Washington University School of Medicine (MO)
Click here to visit the HDSA Centers of Excellence page.
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The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) 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 2022 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.
MEDIA CONTACT
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