Parkinson’s Foundation Designates the Fresco Network in Italy as a Parkinson’s Network of Excellence

NEW YORK & MIAMI (June 30, 2020) — The Parkinson’s Foundation today announced that the Fresco Network in Italy is designated as a Parkinson’s Foundation Network of Excellence. The Fresco Network is comprised of high-quality, patient-centered and multi-disciplinary care facilities for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) at sites throughout Italy.

“This newest designation expands our ability to support the international PD community alongside a network that demonstrates a commitment to providing the highest quality care for people with Parkinson’s,” said John L. Lehr, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation. “We look forward to working with the Fresco Network to make life better for the Italian PD community.”

In addition to its exemplary care facilities, Fresco Network maintains an innovative research portfolio, and demonstrates a formal commitment to medical professional training and to educating the community of people with and affected by Parkinson’s in Italy. This designation is modelled after the Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence network: a designation of medical centers with a specialized PD care team and a commitment to PD research. There are 47 Parkinson’s Foundation Centers of Excellence around the world, including 33 in the United States.

“It is an honor to receive this designation from the Parkinson’s Foundation and to solidify the Fresco Network as leader in PD care,” said Paolo Fresco, “I have personally experienced the long suffering and loss of my beloved wife, Marlene, to Parkinson’s disease so my commitment is deeply personal. That is why I look forward to working alongside the Foundation to provide essential care, education and resources to the PD community in Italy.”

The Fresco Network was made possible by the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Foundation and the Fresco Parkinson Institute Foundation (FPI). FPI was established in 2015 as an international non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones.

"Today's designation is a testament to the strong bonds uniting Italy and the USA in the field of medicine and research. Cooperation, exchange of ideas, cross-fertilization and a multidisciplinary approach across the Atlantic are key to our fight against Parkinson’s disease. I am proud to see that thanks to the Fresco Foundation and the Parkinson Foundation, Italy and the USA are leaving their mark,” said the Ambassador of Italy to the USA, Armando Varricchio.

To learn more about the Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence Network, visit Parkinson.org/GlobalCareNetwork.

About the Paolo and Marlene Fresco Foundation 

Since 2015, the Paolo and Marlene Fresco Foundation sponsors care models for Parkinson’s disease that emphasize physical and psychological wellbeing, compassionate and personalized care, acknowledgment of caregivers, and multi-modal rehabilitation model, together with state-of-the-art medical and surgical care. To this aim, the Foundation singled out six Italian sites, each of them with unique characteristics. The sites that are currently part of the newly nominated Fresco Network of Excellence are: the Moriggia-Pelascini Hospital in Gravedona; Villa Margherita in Vicenza; the Policlinico of Milan; the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Perugia; the Santa Chiara Hospital in Pisa; the San Martino Hospital in Genova.

For more information, visit www.frescoparkinsoninstitute.com.