On Friday, Oct. 19, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health was honored by the Parkinson’s Foundation with a special designation as a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, the first and only in the state of Nevada.

The year 2018 has been one of notable milestones and achievements for the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which received these additional honors and distinctions:

• Named a Research Center of Excellence by the Lewy Body Dementia Association
• Received the “Partners in Care” designation from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (the only program in Southern Nevada)
• Named one of the first five CurePSP Centers of Care in the United States (2018)
• Continued to operate the only Huntington’s Disease Comprehensive Clinic in Nevada
• And, as part of Cleveland Clinic, was named the No. 4 neurology program in the country for 2018-19 in S. News & World Report’s annual rankings

Following a tour of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s state-of-the-art facilities, Sean Kramer, vice president and chief development officer of the Parkinson’s Foundation and  Stephen Bittel, chairman and founder of Terranova, a real estate firm based in Miami, and supporter to the Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence network expansion, presented Zoltan Mari, MD, director, Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Program, Angie Ruvo Chair; Camille and Larry Ruvo, co-founders of Keep Memory Alive and Allison Herman, Parkinson’s Foundation board director, with a commemorative plaque to officially welcome them to the Center of Excellence global network.

The Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence network comprises 45 leading academic medical centers, 31 of which are in the United States and serve more than 145,000 individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) annually. This sought-after designation identifies hospitals and academic medical centers with specialized teams – neurologists, movement disorders specialists, physical and occupational therapists, and mental health professionals – who are at the leading edge of the latest medications, therapies and innovations in PD.

During the event, guests also heard from Mr. Tony Cox, a patient living with PD, who spoke about how the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health has helped him and his wife, who also serves as his caregiver, navigate through the challenges of the disease by providing excellent patient care and free educational resources. Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Governor Brian Sandoval sent well wishes to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and officially proclaimed Friday, Oct. 19 as Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence Day in both Las Vegas and the state, respectively.

Mr. Ruvo closed out the ceremony with a champagne toast, thanking everyone for attending and sharing his excitement for the future, stating “with this recognition, what happens in Las Vegas doesn’t stay in Las Vegas, it benefits the rest of the world.”

Photo: L to R:  Dr. Zoltan Mari, Director, Parkinson’s Disease & Movement Disorders Program, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health; Stephen Bittel, chairman and founder of Terranova, a real estate firm based in Miami, and supporter to the Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence network expansion; Larry and Camille Ruvo, co-founders of Keep Memory Alive and Allison Herman, Parkinson’s Foundation board director