USA Department of Neurology Recognized as a Partner in MS Care by National Multiple Sclerosis Society

From left, Dr. William Kilgo, assistant professor of neurology at the USA College of Medicine and an MS specialist with USA Physicians Group; Dr. Elizabeth Minto, director of clinical skills at the USA College of Medicine and an MS specialist with USA Physicians Group; Andrew Bell, president of the National MS Society, Alabama-Mississippi Chapter; and Deborah Kirkland, manager of healthcare provider engagement at the National MS Society.

The University of South Alabama department of neurology, a leading provider of care for people living with multiple sclerosis in the Mobile area, has been officially recognized as a Partner in MS Care by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The Partners in MS Care program recognizes providers who have demonstrated knowledge and expertise in treating patients with MS and whose practices support the Society’s initiative of affordable access to high-quality care for everyone living with MS – regardless of geography, disease progression and other disparities. Partners in MS Care also have a relationship with the National MS Society that helps connect their patients to the information, resources and support available.

"We are so proud to partner with the University of South Alabama’s department of neurology to enhance coordinated, comprehensive care for the people who live with MS in Mobile and along the Gulf Coast," said Andrew Bell, president of the National MS Society, Alabama-Mississippi Chapter. "In earning this recognition, the USA department of neurology has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in MS care, making a tremendous impact on people affected by MS in our community."

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling, disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness and paralysis. Approximately 500 people in the Mobile area are living with multiple sclerosis, and more than 900,000 people across the United States have been diagnosed with the disease.

Dr. William Kilgo, assistant professor of neurology at the USA College of Medicine and a neurologist with USA Physicians Group who specializes in multiple sclerosis, said the Partners in MS Care designation is the first step to becoming an MS Center for Comprehensive Care, which the USA department of neurology hopes to achieve in the next two years.

"Partnering with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is an essential step forward here at the University of South Alabama," Dr. Kilgo said. "We look forward to continuing to provide a high level of service to patients with multiple sclerosis along the Gulf Coast who in the past have driven as far as Birmingham, New Orleans or Atlanta for their care."

Marlo Blankenship speaks about her personal experience of 

living with multiple sclerosis. 

Dr. Elizabeth Minto, director of clinical skills at the USA College of Medicine and a neurologist with USA Physicians Group who specializes in multiple sclerosis, said, "This recognition from the National MS Society calls attention to the commitment of our physicians and staff to providing excellent comprehensive care to our patients living with MS. It also offers the opportunity for more patients in the region to be made aware of USA Neurology as a cutting-edge care provider, closer to home."

Marlo Blankenship of Mobile serves as an advocate in the community for those living with and affected by multiple sclerosis. She was diagnosed with MS by an internal medicine physician in 2004, after experiencing periods of blindness and paralysis in the leg. At the time there were no MS specialists in Mobile, so she traveled to Birmingham for care.

With the expertise of her doctors and medications to slow the progression of the disease, Blankenship is now healthy and active. She said the partnership between USA and the MS Society will greatly benefit the community.

"This partnership is amazing, and it's something that Mobile should be very excited about," Blankenship said. "I know I am, and I know other MS patients will love the comfort of having a specialist locally and the connection with the MS Society."

"We're very proud of this achievement and our partnership with the MS Society," said Dr. Dean Naritoku, professor and chair of neurology at the USA College of Medicine and a neurologist with USA Physicians Group. "We now have many disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis, and there are more on the horizon. We look forward to helping better care for people living with multiple sclerosis."

For more information on the Partners in MS Care program, visit www.nationalMSsociety.org/partnersinMScare.

Dr. Kilgo recently presented "The Importance of Specialized Care for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis" at Med School Café. Watch the full presentation on YouTube.