Hospital for Special Care Awarded $1.2 Million Grant – Its Largest Ever – From The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation
July 19, 2017HFSC to Build National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence – One of Only 40 Worldwide
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (July 19, 2017) – The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc. is awarding Hospital for Special Care (HFSC) $1.2 million to build the Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc., National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence, one of only 40 Centers of Excellence worldwide and the first in Connecticut. The grant is the largest single gift ever to HFSC.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disease, affecting 1,000,000 people in the U.S. It’s also the 14th leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest funding will support, among other things, clinical research and trials; and provide patients access to the full spectrum of evidence-backed therapeutic options, including a neurosurgery team experienced with surgical options for the disease. The grant will also provide additional services outside of HFSC regular clinics to improve the quality of patients’ lives.
“Hospital for Special Care is already a leader – regionally and nationally- in providing advanced care and rehabilitation in highly-specialized areas, including Parkinson’s disease,” said Marion Barrak, president, Hoffman Foundation. “This grant will provide the resources to build upon that commitment and further its accomplishments.”
“We are so grateful to the Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc. for this $1.2 million gift – our largest ever – and its continued support and generosity toward our mission of ensuring exemplary care and a full spectrum of medical treatment for complex rehabilitation and chronic disease for both children and adults,” said Lynn Ricci, president and CEO, Hospital for Special Care.
To become a Center of Excellence, HFSC will accomplish the following national accreditation requirements with the Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Grant:
- See a sufficient volume of patients to have exposure to the diverse manifestations of Parkinson’s disease and wide array of treatment options;
- Deliver care to patients in a team model that addresses the broad spectrum of symptoms and treatment options;
- Employ neurologists with training in movement disorders or a specialization in Parkinson’s disease who balance research, education, and care in their practices;
- Offer support services to families and caregivers;
- Provide access to the full spectrum of evidence-backed therapeutic options including a neurosurgery team experienced with surgical options for Parkinson’s disease;
- Demonstrate commitment to clinical training;
- Empower patients and caregivers by promoting and educating around self-directed activities such as managing exercise and nutrition;
- Provide patients and families with access to current information about Parkinson’s disease;
- Advance the understanding of Parkinson’s disease through collaborative and investigator-initiated clinical research;
- Provide patients access to experimental therapies through participation in clinical trials.
On October 1, 2013, HFSC opened the Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders Center, the state’s first multidisciplinary clinic for Parkinson’s disease. It now offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment for patients diagnosed with the disease and related neurological disorders. There are many effective treatments
for the symptoms of Parkinson’s, however, the underlying cause of this disease remains unclear.
For more information about Hospital for Special Care, please call 860.223.2761, or visit www.hfsc.org.