June 11, 2009

New Providers Join SIU Med School’s Memory and Aging Network

Three local providers have joined the Memory and Aging Network at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Center for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders.  The new provider sites are Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Community Resource and Counseling Center in Paxton and Human Service Center in Red Bud.

“As the size of the aging population continues to grow, the need for health care services also increases.  The medical school’s center is dedicated to assisting local providers in meeting the needs of Alzheimer’s disease patients and their families and we welcome these additional partners,” said Dr. Tom Ala, associate professor of neurology and interim director of SIU’s center.

SIU’s Center for Alzheimer Disease has 34 provider sites as part of its Springfield-based center.  The sites provide a network of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, allied health professionals and nursing home staff members in downstate Illinois, who are trained to evaluate and recommend treatment for patients and families who may be dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

SIU’s own team includes physicians, neuropsychologists, a geriatrician and nurses who work with the provider sites so treatment can be provided locally and patients can avoid traveling to Springfield for evaluation.

The SIU faculty at the Alzheimer Center also conducts research into areas such as age-related memory loss and hosts various national clinical trials.  They provide continuing education, including discussion of new research findings and therapy options, to help local physicians and professionals better serve local communities. 
In addition, the center offers comprehensive medical services to treat patients and counsel families.  Services were provided to more than 2,000 patients in the network last year.  Started in 1987, SIU’s center serves 93 Illinois counties.

For more information about the Alzheimer’s Memory and Aging Network, call
217-545-7181.  The Center’s Web site is www.siumed.edu/alz/.

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