Parkland Neurology Clinic designated Partner in Multiple Sclerosis Care
Recognition honors commitment to patient care
When her left arm started feeling numb, Chantina Schrock automatically assumed it was a pinched nerve that would get better on its own.
“But by the end of that week, my whole left side had become numb and I knew I had to get medical help,” said Schrock, 25. After extensive testing at Parkland Memorial Hospital, she learned she had multiple sclerosis (MS).
Like many people diagnosed with the disease, Schrock said she knew almost nothing about MS, and she certainly never thought she would develop it. But thanks to the care at the hospital, and ongoing treatment in Parkland’s Neurology Clinic over the past year, her condition has improved greatly and she has even returned to work.
“Coming to the clinic at Parkland has helped me learn more about MS and how to deal with it,” Schrock said.
Patient care, education and outreach are key components of the work done in the Neurology Clinic at Parkland, and the clinic’s recent designation as a Partner in MS Care – Neurologic Care by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is recognition of the staff’s commitment to exceptional patient care and efforts to address the challenges of people affected by multiple sclerosis. Parkland’s Neurology Clinic treats approximately 300 patients with a primary diagnosis of MS.
“The Partner in MS Care designation is a great honor for Parkland, but even more importantly it provides our patients and their families greater access to vital services, information and resources, including the National MS Society’s Information and Resource Center,” said Pravin Khemani, MD, Medical Director of Parkland’s Neurology Clinic and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
“The partnership will create an opportunity for optimal care and support for individuals living with MS,” said Chloe Rogers, Coordinator of Access to Care for the National MS Society in Texas.
The Society’s designation of Partner in MS Care – Neurologic Care recognizes the need for patients to have access to a neurologist with current knowledge and experience treating MS. A Partner in MS Care must demonstrate knowledge and experience in MS care, have a special interest in treating people living with MS and work closely with the Society. This is the first time Parkland has received the designation, joining six other healthcare facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that have previously received the recognition.
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often debilitating disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the body. While anyone may develop MS, there are indications that some people may be more at risk. For example, more than two to three times as many women as men develop MS, and the difference has been increasing over the past 50 years. And while it occurs in all ethnic groups, MS appears to be more common among Caucasians of northern European ancestry.
Although MS can occur in young children or older adults, the disease is most often diagnosed in people who are between the ages of 20 and 50. Studies have suggested a genetic component to risk factors, but no evidence that it can be inherited. Environmental factors such as low Vitamin D and smoking have been shown to increase the risk of MS.
Worldwide, approximately 2.3 million people are affected by MS. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation estimates that more than 400,000 people in the U.S. have the disease although exact numbers are difficult to find, in part because physicians are not required to report new cases. Symptoms also can vary greatly from person to person, but among the more common signs are fatigue, numbness or tingling in the body, face or extremities, muscle spasms and vision problems.
But with timely, specialized care, the disease can be treated and the patient’s quality of life improved, which is the overarching goal of the National MS Society-Parkland partnership.
For patients, The National MS Society offers MS navigator services, care management, educational scholarships, self-help groups and peer support, educational materials and wellness/recreation programs. For medical staff, the partner designation means increased availability of training and continuing medical education from the National MS Society. Additionally, both patients and medical staff can become engaged with the Society through advocacy, volunteerism, MS Camps and recreational programs, philanthropy, Walk MS and Bike MS.
For more information about healthcare services available at Parkland, visit www.parklandhospital.com.
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