Muscular Dystrophy Association Announces Addition of 13 Care Centers to its MDA National Care Center Network

NEW YORK, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) today announced the addition of 13 new hospitals and health institutions to the 150+ Care Centers which make up the MDA Care Center Network. These include 10 new Care Center grant awards and three Care Center affiliates promoted to MDA Care Center status. Through its Care Center Network, MDA is committed to expanding access to care and improving health outcomes for individuals living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases across the United States. Through its MDA Care Affiliate program, the organization expands the collective reach of the MDA Care Center Network to connect with and support more people and ensure access to specialized care, clinical trials, research, treatment interventions and education.

Muscular Dystrophy Association announces addition of 13 Care Centers to its national MDA Care Center Network. 

The new members of the MDA Care Center Network are:

• Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR
• Aravindhan Veerapandiyan MD, Director
• Idaho Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Boise, ID
• Robert Friedman MD, Director
• University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Duchenne Program, Worcester MA
• Brenda Wong, MD, Director
• University of Utah, Pediatric Neurology. Salt Lake City, UT
• Russell J. Butterfield, MD, Director
• Loma Linda University, Pediatric, Loma Linda, CA
• David Joshua Michelson, MD, Director
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
• Reza Seyedsadjadi, MD, Director
• NYU Langone Health, Pediatric, New York, NY
• Mary-Lynn Y. Chu, MD, Director
• AdventHealth Orlando, Orlando, FL
• Nivedita Jerath, MD, Director
• Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
• Lydia Sharp, MD, Director
• Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, TX
• Vedanarayanan Vettaikorumakankav, MD, Director
• Rapides Regional Medical Center**, Alexandria, LA
• Charles Ugokwe, MD Director
• Helen DeVos Children's Hospital**, Grand Rapids, MI
• Jena Krueger, MD, Director
• Children's Hospital of Michigan**, Detroit, MI
• Michelle Figueroa, MD, Director

**Affiliates

"I had the pleasure of meeting the Care Center Directors who attended in person at the recent 2022 MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference in Nashville," said Donald S. Wood, PhD, MDA's president and CEO. "Since MDA was founded in 1950, life expectancy and quality of life has vastly improved for individuals with neuromuscular diseases. Children and adults are living longer and growing stronger and leading fulfilling productive lives as a result. This is due in large part to the best-in-class, comprehensive multidisciplinary care provided to families from a wide variety of health care specialists at MDA Care Centers."

"We welcome the new group of MDA Care Center Directors to our network, leading their medical teams consisting of health care professionals dedicated to guiding individuals and families through the diagnostic process and — once a diagnosis of a neuromuscular disease is confirmed — helping them take charge by understanding the options for medical treatment and daily management," said Dr. Barry Byrne, MDA's Chief Medical Advisor. "The members of MDA's multidisciplinary care teams include neurologists, cardiologists, physical therapists, nutritionists, genetic counselors, nurses, orthopedists, physiatrists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, social workers and speech/language therapists. The MDA Care Center Network also utilizes telehealth, which is critical for our community, especially throughout the pandemic."

About Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. For over 70 years, MDA has led the way in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of our families. MDA's mission is to empower the people we serve to live longer, more independent lives. To learn more visit mda.org.

SOURCE Muscular Dystrophy Association