Huntington’s Disease Society of America Announces Forty-Three 2018 HDSA Centers of Excellence

New York, NY (February 13, 2018) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is proud to announce that forty-three outstanding Huntington’s disease care facilities are being awarded the designation of HDSA Centers of Excellence for 2018.

The 2018 HDSA Centers of Excellence program expanded to 43 Centers from 41 last year. Since 2015 the program has grown from just 20 – a 115 percent increase in four years. The HDSA Centers of Excellence are multi-disciplinary care teams with expertise in Huntington’s disease that share an exemplary commitment to bringing comprehensive care.

With the continued growth of the program, HDSA is bringing more ‘boots on the ground’ to support HD affected families across the United States with care locations in 30 States plus the District of Columbia. In addition, four Centers have partner sites to expand care in Oregon, California, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. This year, HDSA will be awarding a total of $1,264,250 to the Centers of Excellence program, an increase of $104,500 from last year.

“HDSA’s Center of Excellence program is the cornerstone of comprehensive care for families affected by Huntington’s disease,” said Louise Vetter, HDSA’s President & Chief Executive Officer. “With multi-disciplinary care teams that include neurologists, mental health professionals, genetic counselors, social workers and more, an HDSA Center of Excellence means a medical ‘home’ for HD families and a place where their complex needs can be addressed capably and with compassion. Now with forty-three centers nationwide, more families have access to high-quality HD care.”

The HDSA Centers of Excellence provide an elite team approach to Huntington's disease care and research. Patients benefit from expert neurologists, psychiatrists, therapists, counselors and other professionals who have extensive experience working with families affected by HD and who work collaboratively to help families plan the best HD care program throughout the course of the disease. Applications to become an HDSA Center of Excellence are open to all clinics in the United States who share HDSA’s commitment to high-quality, comprehensive care and access to clinical research.

Ms. Vetter added, “In addition to exceptional care, HDSA Centers of Excellence are on the frontlines of the development of new HD therapies. Each Center is required to support clinical research and most of them offer families direct participation in important observational studies and drug development trials. HDSA Centers of Excellence are the epitome of the help and hope that has guided our mission for fifty years.”

Huntington’s Disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years and has no cure. Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes HD. Today, there are approximately 30,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at-risk of inheriting the disease.

The symptoms of HD are described as having, ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – simultaneously.

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by HD. From community services and education to advocacy and research, HDSA is the world’s leader in providing help for today, hope for tomorrow for people with HD and their families. Support for the 2018 HDSA Centers of Excellence was made possible in part by the generosity of the Griffin Foundation. To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit www.hdsa.org or call (800) 345-HDSA.

The 2018 HDSA Center of Excellence grantees are listed below alphabetically:
• Albany Medical College (NY)
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MA)
• Cleveland Clinic (OH)
• Colorado Neurological Institute
• Columbia Health Sciences/NYS Psychiatric Institute (NY)
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (NH)
• Duke University (NC)
• Emory University (GA)
• Georgetown University (DC)
• Hennepin County Medical Center (MN)
• Indiana University
• Johns Hopkins University (MD)
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Northwestern University (IL)
• Ochsner Health System (LA)
• Ohio State University
• Rush University Medical Center (IL)
• Stanford University (CA)
• University of Alabama, Birmingham
• University of California, Davis Medical Center
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of California, San Diego
• University of California, San Francisco
• University of Colorado
• University of Florida
• University of Iowa
• University of Louisville (KY)
• University of Nebraska Medical Center
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (PA)
• University of Rochester (NY)
• University of South Carolina School of Medicine
• University of South Florida
• University of Tennessee – Memphis
• University of Texas Health Science Center- Houston
• University of Utah
• University of Vermont, Frederick Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders
• University of Virginia
• University of Washington (WA)
• University of Wisconsin
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center (TN)
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Washington University School of Medicine (MO)

Level 1 Partner HD Clinics
• Kaiser Permanente (CA)
• Oregon Health Sciences University
• Cole Neuroscience Center, University of Tennessee Medical Center
• University of Tennessee, Erlanger Medical Center
• University of Mississippi Medical Center
• University of South Alabama