LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville Physicians has been recognized for its commitment to providing exceptional, coordinated care for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Partners in MS Care program has designated UofL as a Partner in MS Care, Neurologic Care, for its commitment to MS care and a continuing partnership with the society to address the challenges of people affected by MS. UofL Physicians is the only Partner in MS Care in Louisville and western Kentucky.
“It takes a variety of medical and non-medical professionals to empower patients with multiple sclerosis and their families,” said David Robertson, M.D., who leads the UofL Physicians Multiple Sclerosis Center and is an assistant professor in the UofL Department of Neurology. “The MS Society has a variety of resources for patients that we cannot offer through the University of Louisville. In any situation when you find a person or an institution that does good work in a responsible way, it is worth developing a mutually beneficial relationship that ultimately benefits the patients.”
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with two to three times more women than men diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.
“We are so proud to partner with the University of Louisville Physicians to enhance coordinated, comprehensive care for the people who live with MS in Louisville, Ky.,” said David Haddock of the National MS Society, Mid South. “In earning this recognition, the University of Louisville has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in MS care, making a tremendous impact on people affected by MS in our community.”
The society’s Partners in MS Care program recognizes committed providers whose practices support the Society’s initiative of affordable access to high quality MS health care for everyone living with MS – regardless of geography, disease progression and other disparities.
“We treat all of our patients differently because MS treats all of our patients differently,” said Jacinta Lockard, coordinator for the Neuroimmunology Clinic at the UofL Physicians MS Center. “We have access to many different resources for our patients, and the National MS society is a big part of that.”
The UofL Physicians MS Center includes experts who can address all of a patient’s needs, including medical care, physical/occupational/speech therapies, neuropsychology and social work.
“We offer patients access to all 13 FDA-approved drugs to treat MS. The newer drugs often require the patient to come for an infusion and we have an excellent infusion center in our building,” Lockard said. “We treat patients from all over the state and southern Indiana and we try to make medication accessible to everyone a priority, no matter their location.”
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society mobilizes people and resources so that everyone affected by multiple sclerosis can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. Last year alone, through our comprehensive nationwide network of services, the society devoted more than $100 million to connect approximately one million people affected by MS to the connections, information and resources they need. To move closer to a world free of MS, the society also invested $42 million to support more than 380 new and ongoing research projects around the world.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional. For more information, visit http://www.nationalMSsociety.org/partnersinMScare or call 1-800-344-4867.
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