New ALS Clinic Announced: Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center to Open its Doors January 2016

Margarida Azevedo, MSc avatar

by Margarida Azevedo, MSc |

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A new multidisciplinary clinic, the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center, has announced it will open its doors on January 8th 2016. The new clinic will merge with the already settled Frances and Joseph Weinberg Unit for ALS Research leading to a new comprehensive clinical and research integrated center that will offer patients a state-of-the-art research-based approach to care, multidisciplinary clinical services with an expertise team of physicians, scientists and staff, dedicated to the care, understanding and treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

The venture was announced by The Farber Institute for Neuroscience in partnership with The ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter who are positive about the merge, since Frances and Joseph Weinberg Unit for ALS has been dedicated to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research for the past nine years with the goal to further advance the fight against this serious disease. The initiative will gather research and clinical skills to give patients access to groundbreaking technologies, research and symptomatic treatments.

The Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center will be directed by Piera Pasinelli, Ph.D., who is a national leader in ALS research. “Our approach of merging research and clinical care is tailored around the patients’ needs, which include immediate needs such as symptomatic care, and ultimate needs in finding effective treatments,” Pasinelli in a news release. “We are honored to welcome patients and their families, and are dedicated in supporting them in their journey with ALS.”

The new collaboration also received a comment from the President of the ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter, Ellyn C. Phillips: “We are very excited to add our partnership with the Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center to the most comprehensive array of services for ALS patients and their families in the Greater Philadelphia area. We are proud to be a member of the Jefferson family.”

The newly formed organization includes Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health that in a joint effort provides the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients and ALS community, education for the future professionals and discovery of new treatments and therapies that will contribute to define the future of health care.

Jefferson Health encompasses five hospitals, 16 outpatient and urgent care clinics, as well as physician practices and in all other locations Jefferson Health delivers care services across Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties. These facilities provide for over 72,000 inpatients, 239,000 emergency patients and 1.7 million outpatient visits every year. Other hospitals include Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Center City Philadelphia, Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia and Abington-Lansdale Hospital in Hatfield Township. Over 3,800 future medical professionals are enrolled at Thomas Jefferson University today.

Stephen K. Klasko, M.D., the President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, commented, “The Jefferson community is thrilled to provide this unique multidisciplinary approach to bring a new level of patient-centered care to patients in the Greater Philadelphia region.” He continued, “The ALS Association Greater Philadelphia Chapter has entrusted us with the care of these patients, and we will make it our mission to surround them with an unprecedented level of compassion, treatment, and state of the art care.”