Michigan universities to improve Parkinson's care
By Sheena Harrison - The State News Michigan State U.
http://news.excite.com:80/news/uw/001026/health-105
(U-WIRE) EAST LANSING, Mich., October 26, 2000 -- The state's premiere
research universities - Michigan State University, the University of
Michigan and Wayne State University - will collaborate with major health
care providers to improve the quality of medical care to in-state
Parkinson's disease patients.
The Michigan Parkinson Initiative, which was announced Wednesday during
a press
conference at the Kellogg Center, enlists the help of the medical
schools of the three universities, the Henry Ford Health System,
Beaumont Neuroscience Center, St. John's Parkinson's Disease and
Movement Disorders Clinic, the Michigan Parkinson Foundation and the
Michigan Department of Community Health.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder <SNIP>
Kathleen Damian, who chairs the Michigan Parkinson Foundation Board of
Directors, said the initiative aims to combine efforts of the best
Parkinson's physicians.
"Our goal was to seek additional funding in order to reach out to people
in all of Michigan with the expertise of movement disorder specialists,"
she said.
"We wanted to find ways for the organizations to share equipment and
expertise in research grants."
The state Department of Community Health allocated $200,000 of its 2001
budget for the creation of the Michigan Parkinson Initiative.
Director James Haveman said the new program will create more
accessibility to
state-of-the-art Parkinson's care for state residents who may live
outside of metro areas.
"There is a huge, rural part of Michigan that deserves to have access to
the best practice and this helps," he said.
"This provides education to people who just don't know a lot about the
disease."
Paul Cullis, a physician with Wayne State University and St. John's
Health System, described the initiative as "one-stop shopping."
He said patients would be able to spend half a day at one of the
numerous facilities throughout the state and, during the visit, would
also be able to see neurology experts, occupational therapists, physical
therapists, speech therapists and neurosurgeons.
The disease has been thrust into the national spotlight in recent years,
as celebrities have announced living with the disease. Boxing legend
Muhammad Ali, actor Michael J. Fox and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno
have all been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
But the disease has impact on local residents, too.
East Lansing resident B.J. Scott is married to Jimmy Scott, a
"Parkinsonian," and volunteers with the Michigan Parkinson Foundation.
Scott said she attended Wednesday morning's press conference because the
disease has had a large impact on her family.
"Jimmy can hardly get out of the house without help," Scott said.
"He does really well, but it takes three to five hours to get him ready
every day because he has to have his food, medicine and exercise before
he leaves."
Scott said the initiative will provide awareness about the disease for
all families coping with Parkinson's.
"The more public relations, the more the word gets out,"she said. "That
will help the ones that have already been diagnosed and the ones who
haven't."
(C) 2000 The State News via U-WIRE
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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