NC-CCHD Accepts $10,000 Grant 6-10-10
Lundbeck, Inc. Sponsors The NC Physician Outreach Project
Raleigh, NC, June 10, 2010— The North Carolina Center for the Care of Huntington’s disease (NC-CCHD) has accepted a $10,000 grand from the Lundbeck Inc. Medical Grants Review Committee to fund the NC Physician Outreach Project.
This project aims to send information about NC-CCHD to all neurologists, psychiatrists, and genetic counselors practicing in NC. NC-CCHD provides streamlined access to expert medical care at Duke University, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University for patients and family members affected by Huntington’s disease in NC. The Lundbeck-sponsored project will seek to provide details of the services provided by NC-CCHD, specifically about how patients can be linked to critically-needed social work services, crisis intervention and research opportunities.
By tracking response, NC-CCHD hopes to obtain a greater understanding of the areas in the state most in need of support. NC-CCHD’s services are provided free of charge are entirely funded by charitable donations.NC-CCHD Press Release 4-1-10
NC-CCHD Hires Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Sarah Dawson, LCSW Joins NC-CCH
Raleigh, NC, April 1, 2010—The NC-CCHD hired a licensed clinical social worker to provide services for patients and families affected by Huntington’s disease (HD) in NC.
Sarah Dawson, a licensed clinical social worker, joins the NC-CCHD after ten years of working in the community mental health field. She earned her degree in psychology from Guilford College and then a master’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina. Ms. Dawson will be providing services, such as crisis intervention, referral to social service providers and access to expert medical treatment including genetic testing. She will also help connect patients and their families with research opportunities at UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University and Wake Forest University.
Ms. Dawson will attend HD clinics at Duke University and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where she will establish relationships with families who need her services or may need them in the future.
NC-CCHD Press Release 8-28-09
New hope for victims of Huntington’s Disease
NC-CCHD offers greater access to health care
Raleigh, N.C., Aug. 24, 2009 – Tremendous steps have been made to eliminate the problems many victims of Huntington’s Disease (HD) and their families encounter when trying to access medical care in North Carolina. The North Carolina Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease (NC-CCHD) has been created to address the problem and to increase awareness of the issues created by HD in North Carolina.
NC-CCHD will provide free, streamlined access to expert care, crisis intervention services, family support, and caregiver education to North Carolinians affected by HD. As needs arise, the institution will help patients obtain assistance from specialized HD clinics, hospitals, nursing care facilities, public charities, government programs and local community resources. All NC-CCHD programs are funded entirely by charitable donations.
Access to knowledgeable health care has always been a problem for HD families in North Carolina. Grassroots efforts that create partnerships between care providers, the community and affected individuals are a creative and efficient way of addressing health care needs for vulnerable populations. The North Carolina Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease is just such an effort.
“We are proud to offer revolutionary programs that will reshape the way both at-risk and affected HD individuals approach coping with the disease,” said Mary Edmondson, MD, President of NC-CCHD. “We will aim to provide efficient, expert assistance to those who seek our help and look forward to working toward better health care for HD patients and their families,” she said.
HD is an inherited brain disorder that results in involuntary movements, psychiatric symptoms and loss of mental functions. Symptoms typically begin to appear in mid-life, often after the childbearing years. The illness progresses over a 10-25 year period and is always fatal. The most painful aspect of HD, however, is its inheritance. Each child of an HD affected individual has a 50 percent chance of inheriting HD. Huntington’s disease affects entire families, from birth to death, generation after generation.
About the North Carolina Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease
The North Carolina Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease is a non-profit organ-
ization dedicated to providing access to medical care and assistance to any individual or family in North Carolina affected by Huntington’s Disease. Their programs are funded entirely by private donations. For more information, visit www.nc-cchd.org
