KHI News

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Officials at the University of Kansas Medical Center said they will use an $800,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to create a new center to help people that have Multiple Sclerosis.

The new program will focus on helping people with MS improve their emotional health, physical function and living habits. Officials said it will be one of few in the U.S. MS is a disease of the central nervous system with no known cure.

“Our goal is to help patients with multiple sclerosis and their families have the best quality of life that they possibly can,” said Dr. Sharon Lynch, a neurology professor at the medical center. “We know that doctors’ visits alone don’t always get these patients to the place where they need to be. By providing a range of opportunities for patients, we can help address more of their needs in one place.”

The center will be in a former day care facility at 3503 Rainbow Blvd., in Kansas City, Kan., which is north of the medical center campus.

KU officials said the building will be renovated as a hub for MS research and integrated services for MS patients and will be called the Comprehensive Center for Multiple Sclerosis Care. It will have capacity for 125 patients weekly.

The Mid America MS Achievement Center that Lynch has operated as an independent nonprofit since 1997 at the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City will be folded into the new center, officials said.

The Hilton foundation grant will be used to expand programming at the center and the KU Endowment will raise money to furnish the building, officials said. Renovation is scheduled for completion next year.

Among the services to be provided:

• Group counseling and psychology sessions focusing on emotional health, adjustment and wellness.

• Physical and occupational therapy sessions for improving and maintaining physical function.

• Recreational therapy including yoga, tai chi, music therapy and Cognifitness – a program to help individuals adapt to cognitive changes that can occur with MS.

• Opportunities to participate in studies being conducted at KU Medical Center and to receive clinical care from specialized neurologists and other types of doctors.