Norton Neuroscience Institute and Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana have joined forces to bolster care for individuals in our community living with Parkinson’s disease.

Published: September 4, 2020 | Updated: October 8, 2020

Norton Neuroscience Institute and Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana have joined forces to bolster care for individuals in our community living with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana will become part of the Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Center. The resource center offers free education, therapies, support and programs for patients facing various neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The Norton Healthcare Foundation will assist the center with fundraising to ensure patients’ needs are met.

“Our goal is to help individuals with Parkinson’s enjoy the highest possible quality of life,” said Justin T. Phillips, M.D., medical director of Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders for Norton Neuroscience Institute. “This is a tremendous opportunity to pool our resources and increase patients’ access to clinical trials, specialized rehabilitation services and complementary therapies to the benefit of patients throughout the region.”

The Parkinson Support Center was founded in 1999 with the vision of helping people with Parkinson’s and their care partners and families to embrace the future with hope. The resources, exercise and activity programs, and events offered by the support center will continue under Norton Neuroscience Institute. Classes are open to anyone affected by Parkinson’s disease.

“We’re very excited to join forces with the Norton Neuroscience Institute Resource Center,” said Erika Branch, executive director, Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana. “Both organizations have worked hard to improve the lives of patients with Parkinson’s disease; and together, we’ll be able to do even more for this community.”

More than 12,000 people in Kentucky are living with Parkinson’s disease, an incurable movement disorder that worsens over time. Symptoms include tremors of the hands, arms, legs and face; stiffness in the limbs; slowed movement; and impaired balance and coordination. Every year, more than 60,000 people are diagnosed nationwide.

More patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease seek care at Norton Neuroscience Institute than any other provider in Louisville or Southern Indiana. The institute has more than 60 medical, surgical and research specialists dedicated to providing innovative care to those with brain, spine and nervous system conditions. Its fellowship-trained specialists are experienced in the forefront of new techniques that provide greater safety and better outcomes for Parkinson’s patients.