Louisville's Norton Healthcare receives $20 million gift to support Parkinson's disease programming and research

Norton Healthcare has received a $20 million gift for the "Just Imagine" campaign to support programing and research in Parkinson's disease and movement disorders at the Norton Neuroscience Institute.

 
The Just Imagine campaign aims to ensure greater access to medical expertise; expand innovative clinical translational research; and recruit, train and attract even more best-in-class specialists.

The gift comes from the estate of Dr. Elizabeth Pahk Cressman, a Louisville anesthesiologist who died in 2021.

“Dr. Cressman’s vision has helped elevate the care for Parkinson’s patients, helping to create a nationally known program through Norton Neuroscience Institute,” Lynnie Meyer, senior vice president and chief development officer of Norton Healthcare, said in a news release. “She also was the catalyst behind funding Parkinson’s disease research that already has helped transform the lives of many patients and families through access to more groundbreaking treatments.”

Cressman worked at what is now Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital, while her husband, the late Dr. Frederick K. Cressman, was a pathologist for Norton Healthcare. This latest gift brings Dr. Elizabeth Cressman’s total support of initiatives at Norton to $28 million.

Nearly 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, and that number continues to grow. The movement disorder generally develops in people 55 to 75 with the main symptom being bradykinesia, or slowness of moment. It also can cause tremors and muscle stiffness.

“Parkinson’s disease can be extremely debilitating and, unfortunately, there currently is no cure,”  Dr. Justin T. Phillips, movement-disorders neurologist with Cressman Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders Center, said in the release. “With Dr. Cressman’s generosity, we are able to build upon the work we already do and offer even more options for patients. She has already had a great impact on people with Parkinson’s in our community, and that will continue for years to come.”

U of L therapy provides hope for victims of movement disorder

A neurologist at the University of Louisville has developed a rehabilitation program for functional movement disorder, a recently defined condition manifested by unusual, involuntary movements or body positions. It is one of only a few in the nation, and has a high success rate, says a news release from U of L Physicians.

Kathrin LaFaver, director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Clinic at the university, modeled the Motor Retraining Program after one at the Mayo Clinic. It combines neurological treatment, psychological counseling, and physical and occupational therapy during a week-long inpatient therapy that aims to improve patients’ motor symptoms, help them regain control over abnormal movements and develop better coping skills.

Kathrin LaFaver, M.D.

“Functional disorders are in the borderland between neurology and psychiatry, and there is a lack of treatment programs for the conditions,” LaFaver said in the release. “Diagnostic tests do not reveal a cause for the FMD, so patients experiencing symptoms often are told by neurologists that ‘nothing is wrong,’ and may be referred to a psychiatrist.”

FMD patients often complain of fatigue and difficulties with concentration and thinking. The disorder can be triggered by psychological or physical stress or trauma, and is not revealed in traditional imaging or other diagnostics, the release says.

Patients from 25 states have undergone the therapy at UofL. More than 85 percent of patients have shown improvement in their symptoms after one week of treatment, and 69 percent report the improvement of symptoms was maintained after six months, the release says.

One was Julia Semple of Delaware, who "spent 10 years trying to figure out what was wrong," the release says.

“It started with my head sort of twitching back and forth, like when you shake your head ‘no.’ It was completely involuntary,” Semple explained. “It progressed to other areas of my body over time. You know when you relax and you have a little twitch? Imagine that except a hundred times bigger and over and over again so you could never fall asleep. It was horrible.”

The disorder "interfered with Semple’s sleep as well as her work as a massage therapist and dancer," the release says. "Semple experienced significant improvement during her week of intensive therapy tailored to her individual needs and symptoms."

Semple said, “After a decade of people telling me ‘take a vacation,’ or ‘there is nothing wrong with you,’ the care at UofL and Frazier was the best ever. Everyone – whatever their part was – they really cared. . . . All of my life was wrapped up in trying to manage these symptoms. The treatment literally gave me my life back.”