Since the early 2000’s, centers of excellence for various diseases or procedures have become common. These are specialized programs within healthcare institutions that bring together experts and resources to target different aspects of the disease or condition to give patients a unified resource for addressing their needs in a comprehensive manner. Besides optimizing resources for patients, the centers of excellence provide advantages for healthcare providers by integrating experts and resources to draw upon within one organization.

Much work goes into assembling and being designated a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence. At this point, the Parkinson’s Foundation has recognized 48 CoE’s – 34 in the United States and 14 international. Not only do they have to have clinical expertise, but part of their mandate is to do research, education, and community outreach to underserved communities that otherwise could not access the CoE or find appropriate care within their own locales.

In this episode Clarissa Martinez-Rubio, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs of the Parkinson’s Foundation, describes what these centers are and the criteria for earning a designation as a CoE. Then Joe Salvatore talks about his mother’s experience getting a second opinion at a Parkinson’s Foundation CoE and how it helped change the course of her disease.