Veterans Administration creating special centers for Parkinson's?

[Murray Charters <Murray_Charters@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sound off
Friday, March  9, 2001

Q: I heard the Veterans Administration is creating special centers for
Parkinson's

A: No time soon. Between 20,000 and 40,000 veterans with Parkinson's
disease are treated each year at VA Medical Centers, according to the
VA, which has special Parkinson's centers in Houston, Philadelphia,
Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., San Francisco and Los Angeles. But the
agency has no plans to build additional Parkinson's centers. Veterans
with Parkinson's can receive quality treatment for the disease at any VA
medical facility, according to the agency, including those in Topeka and
the Kansas City area.



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Say what???

NEWS: VA Establishes Six Parkinson's Disease Centers

VA Establishes Six Parkinson's Disease Centers
P.R.Newswire, 2/7/2001 16:18
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ --
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken a major step
toward improving care and pursuing a cure for Parkinson's disease
by creating six new centers specializing in research,
education and clinical care and committing more than $30 million
to support the centers over the next four years.

"VA recognizes the importance of supporting research and clinical
activities to enhance the care for patients with this disabling
neurological disorder," said Dr. Thomas L. Garthwaite, VA's Under
Secretary for Health.

"By establishing these six specialized centers, we will enable top
VA researchers, clinicians and educators to better understand
Parkinson's disease, develop more effective treatments and clinical
care strategies for patients, and improve education for caregivers,"
he added.

The centers, named Parkinson's Disease Research, Education
and Clinical Centers (PADRECCs), will be established this year at
VA medical centers in Houston, Philadelphia, Portland (Ore.),
Richmond, San Francisco and West Los Angeles.

Operating as a national consortium, the new centers will function
similarly to VA's Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical
Centers (GRECCs) and Mental Illness Research, Education and
Clinical Centers (MIRECCs).

Each Parkinson's center will conduct research covering basic
biomedicine, rehabilitation, health services delivery and clinical
trials.  In addition, each center will participate in a landmark
clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of surgical implantation of
deep brain stimulators in reducing the symptoms of Parkinson's
disease.

Parkinson's disease is slowly progressive and caused by
degeneration of cells in a region of the midbrain that produces the
chemical and neurotransmitter dopamine. Symptoms are
characterized by tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness of
limbs and gait or balance problems.  While treatments
exist, there is no cure for this debilitating disease.

Parkinson's disease is a serious health problem in the United
States.  The National Parkinson Foundation, Inc. (NPF) estimates
that up to 1.5 million Americans have the disease and that
approximately 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

VA medical centers treat at least 20,000 Parkinson's disease
patients each year.

Creation of the new centers represents the second substantial VA
initiative regarding Parkinson's disease in two years.  In 1999, VA
and the NPF signed an agreement to establish the NPF-VA
alliance to cure Parkinson's disease.

"This is an historic opportunity for VA and a continuation of VA's
commitment to provide the best care for our veterans," said
Garthwaite.

"We are very optimistic that VA's support for this research, clinical
care, and education effort will result in significant progress.  It
provides additional hope for veterans and all Americans affected by
Parkinson's disease."

SOURCE  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs


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