ALS Association Designates Mayo Clinic the Only ALS Center of Excellence in Arizona

Thursday, June 26, 2003

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The ALS clinic at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale is the only ALS center in Arizona to receive national certification as a Center of Excellence by the national ALS Association. One of only 19 ALS Centers of Excellence in the U.S., the ALS clinic at Mayo Clinic was selected in recognition of its outstanding program for patients with ALS and their family members.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is widely known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The disease causes degeneration of the nerve cells in certain regions of the brain and spinal cord that control a person's voluntary muscles. Eventually, the patient loses ability to move their limbs and the muscles they need to breathe.

To become certified as an ALSA Center of Excellence, an ALS clinic must achieve national prominence, meet rigorous clinical care standards and pass a comprehensive site inspection. Using the latest research findings in clinical practice, offering clinical drug trials and conducting clinical management research involvement, these distinguished regional ALSA Centers are recognized by The ALS Association as the best in the field with regard to knowledge about and experience in ALS.

Under the direction of E. Peter Bosch, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, a multidisciplinary team at the ALS clinic provides patients with comprehensive evaluation and treatment designed to maximize their physical function and quality of life. The ALS clinic has extensive experience with clinical drug trials for ALS, including two new clinical trials scheduled to open this summer.

"Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale is honored to be selected a Certified ALSA Center," says
Dr. Bosch. "Providing excellent patient care has been a long-standing tradition at Mayo Clinic. We strive to meet the challenge of caring for our patients with ALS with our multidisciplinary team in the ALSA Center to alleviate the suffering caused by this disease until a cure for it can be found."

Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 66 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 205-bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the Clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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