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TWO LEADING PARKINSON DISEASE GROUPS AGREE TO PROCEED WITH MERGER CREATING WORLD'S LARGEST PARKINSON ORGANIZATION New Organization Will Increase The Potential For Finding a Cure and Improving Lives MIAMI -- August 26, 2002 - The Miami-based National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) and the New York City-based Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) have agreed to proceed with the merger of the two foundations. The strategic move by two of the pioneering organizations in Parkinson's research heralds a new and promising era for people with Parkinson's. The new organization, which will be known as The Parkinson Foundation, Inc. (TPF), will combine resources for scientific research, clinical services, education, and patient outreach and support. It will be co-chaired by Nathan Slewett, the chairman of NPF, and Dr. Lewis P. Rowland, PDF's president. Page Morton Black will serve as honorary chairman, and Herbert C. Zemel will be the president. "Through this union, we are creating the largest organization focused on researching the cause and the cure for Parkinson's," said Dr. Rowland. "The beneficiaries of this merger are all people with Parkinson disorders and their families, worldwide. This merger brings together two of the nation's best Parkinson's research and support organizations to form a network of information exchange in leading medical institutions such as the Neurological Institute of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, and the University of Miami. We hope to hasten the day when this deeply disabling and destructive condition can be relegated to the history books." "The merger will create the leading comprehensive Parkinson organization in America," said Mr. Slewett. "It ensures that we continue to grow a national network of research, treatment, and support centers. Our ultimate objective is to save more lives by educating more people and reaching out to untapped groups who are in need. We will offer people with Parkinson's and their families the best treatment and educational resources and support available, while actively fighting to eradicate a disease that currently plagues as many as one million Americans and perhaps 15 million people worldwide. Our combined experience and resources will go a long way toward achieving these goals." The organization will have annual contributions in excess of $20 million, which will be used for research grants, patient and caregiver services, education, and public advocacy. Specific programs will include: · Research and training grants to support leading research centers and individual scientists. · Clinical services and educational programs. · Liaison with the National Institutes of Health to encourage and coordinate new research initiatives and fund pilot research projects. · Advocacy for increased public support of programs designed to find the cause and cure of Parkinson's and to assist those who live with Parkinson's. · Services designed to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson's and their families, including support groups, internet information services, publications and support literature, clinical referrals, and educational symposia. Together, over the past five years, the two organizations have awarded a total of more than $30 million in grants for research in Parkinson's disease and have spent almost $50 million in support for services, education, and advocacy. This merger represents more than a linking of the futures of two organizations; it is a major move toward long-needed unity in the Parkinson's community as a whole. Indeed, the new organization expects to forge strong productive alliances and joint ventures with other Parkinson groups, including the Parkinson's Action Network, the Parkinson's Alliance, the American Parkinson's Disease Association, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Pending consummation of the merger, NPF and PDF will be collaborating closely on programs, fundraising, grant procedures, and Board activities. The merger -- which will require, among other things, IRS approval of tax-exempt status for the new organization -- is expected to be consummated early in 2003. The executive staff of the new foundation will be headed by Robin Anthony Elliott, chief executive officer, based in New York City, and by Jose Garcia-Pedrosa, chief operating officer, based in Miami. These positions correspond closely with those that they currently hold in their respective organizations (PDF and NPF). About the Two Organizations The National Parkinson Foundation, a world-class institution, was founded in 1957. NPF sponsors 62 Centers of Excellence throughout the world, most of them affiliated with leading medical schools, universities, and research centers. It has dozens of chapters in the United States and abroad and almost 1,000 support groups throughout the country. NPF's publications, in two languages, are among the leading sources of Parkinson-related information for the public, and the NPF website, www.parkinson.org, includes, in addition to articles and information that is constantly updated, several interactive columns such as Ask the Doctor, Pregunte al Doctor, Ask the Dietician, and others. NPF awards several millions of dollars in research grants and for use in patient services each year. NPF's international headquarters are in Miami, Florida. Parkinson's Disease Foundation, also founded in 1957, was created by William Black, a founder of the Chock Full O' Nuts Corporation, to promote research of the highest caliber at Columbia University and elsewhere. His widow, Mrs. Page Morton Black, PDF's Chairman, continues his legacy by agreeing to serve as honorary chairman of the new organization. Over the years, PDF has provided education and support to a constituency of people with Parkinson disorders that numbers more than 100,000. It has provided specialized training in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders to young scientists and clinicians from around the U.S. and around the world, most of whom have gone on to create programs in movement diso rders at their own institutions and elsewhere. The organization is based at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, and, since a merger with the Chicago-based United Parkinson Foundation in early 1999, maintains a major presence also at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in that city. For more information on the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, visit www.pdf.org. -- Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD "Ask the Parkinson Dietitian" http://www.parkinson.org/ "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" "Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy" http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn