Norton Neuroscience Institute Expands Parkinson’s Care, Research
Due in large part to a $15 million Norton Healthcare Foundation investment, the Norton Neuroscience Institute (NNI) has expanded to offer state-of-the-art technologies and enhanced amenities for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases.
The newly opened center at the Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit institute, which serves its regional community, contains more than 48,000 square feet of clinical, diagnostic, procedural, and rehabilitation areas. The facility also offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary neurosciences program that now features broader research and outreach capabilities.
Sophisticated equipment will allow patients to undergo complex neurological testing and procedures at the same location as their routine office visits, NNI announced in a press release.
The new Cressman Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center was established to “enhance care and research efforts for Parkinson’s patients.” Treatments offered include deep brain stimulation, an established surgical form of neuromodulation therapy that works to blunt Parkinson’s symptoms like tremor, rigidity, and stiffness through electrical impulses delivered directly to specific brain regions.
Made possible through a gift from Elizabeth Pahk Cressman, MD, PhD, the center will expand NNI patient care and broaden Parkinson’s research by recruiting specialists and promoting work into better technologies and treatments.
“The Norton Healthcare Foundation has provided millions of dollars in funding to Norton Neuroscience Institute over the last decade, but this space really shows how those dollars are making a difference in care for our community,” said Lynnie Meyer, senior vice president and chief development officer for the Norton Healthcare Foundation.
“The technology and spaces created using grant dollars have helped make this a premier neuroscience facility, not just locally but regionally. The support of this community has made that possible.”
The new Cressman Neurological Rehabilitation space is equipped with leading-edge rehabilitation technologies — including a virtual reality balance assessment system, robotic therapy, and a driving simulator — to help patients recover or develop skills needed for independent living.
A $206,500 gift also helped to open the institute’s Nichols Family Community Room, which will offer free education, support, and therapies that include exercise classes for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions.
Exercise programs also available at the institute’s Resource Center include tai chi, yoga, and Lego therapy, and the center holds patient support group meetings.
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