Our Programs

Since its inception more than 50 years ago, the National Parkinson's Foundation (NPF) has worked to address the unmet needs in Parkinson's care and treatment. In 2008, NPF conducted a comprehensive review of the Parkinson's community, and identified key challenges that are preventing patients from accessing state-of-the-art care:

  • Under-diagnosis, particularly in underserved populations
  • Poor diagnosis and treatment of many non-motor symptoms (Depression, sleep, speech and swallowing, pain, etc.)
  • Inadequate knowledge of PD by primary care physicians and community neurologists
  • Insufficient availability of health professionals skilled in PD care
  • Limited understanding of comparative effectiveness of different treatments, particularly non-drug therapies

In 2009 and beyond, NPF is dedicated to addressing these key challenges through our comprehensive research, education and outreach initiatives.

RESEARCH INITIATIVES

In partnership with our Centers of Excellence network, NPF funds research to identify the best treatments for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

  • Clinical Research and Intervention Investigator Awards for Parkinson's Disease 2010  - Each year, NPF, under the direction of our Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board (CSAB), supports cutting-edge research conducted by the world's top neurological experts. As of September 22, 2009, NPF is pleased to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) with the goal of funding clinical investigations in several specific areas of Parkinson's disease research led at NPF Centers of Excellence (COE). NPF COE investigators are invited to submit grant applications to conduct novel or critical research offering the promise of improving care for or understanding of PD. The application deadline is December 1, 2009 and the awards will be announced in March 2010. For more information, read the complete Request for Applications.
  • Quality Improvement Initiative – Successful companies use quality improvement initiatives (QII) to create safer and better products. NPF, in partnership with our Centers of Excellence, has launched the first data-driven quality improvement initiative to systematically improve care for every patient diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The centerpiece is a system that tracks each Parkinson’s patient in the Centers and their treatments over time. The goal is to explore the variation in current clinical practice in order to determine what constitutes exemplary care for patients. Our ultimate aim is to create and share models of excellent care, so that every Parkinson’s patient receives the most effective treatment options available, whether they are seen by a specialist at a NPF Center of Excellence, a general neurologist or their primary care physician.

EDUCATION INITIATIVES

NPF remains a leader in educating patients, their families and caregivers, as well as health professionals about the latest advances in treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

  • Allied Team Training for Parkinson (ATTP) - NPF’s signature national professional training initiative. This comprehensive program was developed with the sole purpose of changing the way Parkinson’s care is delivered. ATTP prepares current and future health care professionals to deliver integrated specialized care in a team setting to individuals with Parkinson’s disease and their families. To date, NPF has trained close to 1,000 health professionals across the country in a dynamic team-based approach.
  • Parkinson.org - NPF manages the premier web site for Parkinson-related information, Parkinson.org. With more than 1.6 million unique visitors each year, Parkinson.org provides valuable information about Parkinson’s disease for patients, families and health care professionals. The web site was the first to offer online forums such as “Ask the Doctor,” which enables visitors to interact with other members of the Parkinson’s community and have their questions answered by experts in Neurology, Nutrition, Speech Pathology, Nursing and Social Work.
  • Young-Onset Resources - NPF has joined forces with the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) to host a conference series for those living with young-onset Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. Young-onset patients face a greater range of issues than older PD patients, including loss of employment, managing finances, concern about young families and social isolation. Since they will live decades with the disease, and may suffer more severe treatment-related motor complications, early and intentional management is crucial to maintaining quality of life.
  • Educational Materials - NPF maintains a wide range of low-cost consumer educational resources to help people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers to actively manage the disease and become their own effective health advocates. Materials are distributed to thousands of patients and caregivers through our 44 Centers of Excellence as well as our local chapters serving communities across the United States and internationally. In addition to the Parkinson Report, NPF offers a popular nine-volume Parkinson’s education series focused on issues critical to patients, an extensive seven-volume Spanish-language series and brochures in eight languages. NPF maintains a toll-free information and referral service that serves thousands of patients and caregivers each year in both English and Spanish.

OUTREACH INITIATIVES

  • National Parkinson Care Network - NPF’s national outreach program, the National Parkinson Care Network (NPCN) is recognized as one of the most successful and expansive programs launched in the United States to provide healthcare information to under-served communities. To date, through a strong partnership with the Medtronic Foundation, NPCN has reached over 3 million people in medically underserved communities. The program seeks to educate community health care providers and patients about Parkinson’s disease by disseminating consumer empowerment materials such as multi-lingual brochures, participating in community education and media events and training programs for health care providers.