National MS Society Names Children’s Health of North Texas a Comprehensive MS Care Center

Children’s Health of North Texas has been designated  a Center for Comprehensive MS Care by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, making it the only pediatric healthcare system in the northern part of the state with such a recognition.

The Comprehensive MS Care designation acknowledges an institution that delivers quality, full patient care in a multidisciplinary and collaborative manner, with teams of specialists working together to address the differing needs of people living with MS, and offering access to medical, rehabilitative, and psycho-social resources. Children’s Health, as a recognized center, will also work in cooperation with the Society’s Network of Pediatric MS Centers on nationwide research efforts.

“The Society’s Partners in MS Care program acknowledges committed providers whose practices improve care for people with MS,” said Cyndi Zagieboylo, president and CEO of the National MS Society. “High-quality care is vital for everyone living with MS — regardless of geography, disease progression and other disparities — to live their best lives.”

At Children’s Health, doctors work alongside other healthcare professionals in neurology and rehabilitation to diagnose and treat children with MS. The institution is the seventh-largest pediatric healthcare provider in the U.S. and the leading system for children’s health needs in North Texas, with a full range of health services, from wellness and primary care to critical and specialty care.

“Children’s Health is honored to be recognized among the few pediatric MS centers in the country that can deliver the comprehensive care these patients so often require,” Benjamin Greenberg, MD, MHS, CRND, a neurologist, associate professor, and Cain Denius Scholar in Mobility Disorders at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said in a press release. “Each member of our multi-disciplinary team plays a key role in helping us provide quality care, elevating our mission to make life better for MS patients.”

Children’s Health will be officially awarded its certificate on March 23, with the co-directors of its Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Program, Dr. Greenberg and Lana Harder, PhD, ABPP, accepting the honor.

MS is a disabling disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Early MS symptoms include weakness, tingling, numbness, and blurred vision. Other signs are muscle stiffness, cognitive issues, and urinary problems. Treatment can relieve MS symptoms and delay progression, but not cure or arrest the disease. Estimates indicate that, worldwide, 2.3 million people are affected by MS.