CoxHealth ALS Clinic receives national recognition as Certified Treatment Center of Excellence

The ALS Association recently recognized the CoxHealth ALS Clinic at Cox South as a Certified Treatment Center of Excellence, and it is the first hospital in southwest Missouri to earn the designation.

Since 1998, the ALS Association’s nationwide network of Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence has provided evidence-based, multidisciplinary ALS care and services. The Certified Treatment Center of Excellence Program designs, implements and monitors a national standard of best-practice care in the management of ALS, providing patients with the reassurance that they are receiving the highest quality of care at these clinics.

Each ALS clinic must meet The ALS Association's clinical care and treatment standards, which are based on the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Practice Parameters, participate in ALS-related research and successfully complete a comprehensive site review to be certified as a Center of Excellence. The CoxHealth ALS Clinic spent two years working to earn this designation.

“We were already providing our patients with high-quality care, but it means so much to receive this designation from the ALS Association and give our patients and their families the comfort that they are receiving the best care close to home,” says Lisa Potthoff, multidisciplinary RN coordinator of the CoxHealth ALS Clinic. “This certification will strengthen our relationship with the greater ALS community and will provide us with better research tools to care for our patients.”

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, and there is currently no cure for the disease.

The CoxHealth ALS Clinic brings together disciplines such as physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy, nutritional services, wheelchair and durable medical equipment services, social work, palliative care services and ALS nursing care.

“No matter the stage an ALS patient may be, our expert team can provide the care and support they need to navigate the disease,” Potthoff says. “We work with each patient to determine the best course of treatment based on their unique situation.”

The clinic sees approximately 100 ALS patients from Greene County. Clinic leaders urge ALS patients from around the region to contact the clinic if they are interested in its services.

The CoxHealth ALS Clinic first opened its doors in 2015 to serve a high-demand patient population in our region. Since then, the clinic has provided care to thousands of ALS patients with the help of generous donors, the CoxHealth Foundation, and the Bell family – who were crucial in the creation of this clinic. The clinic also just received a donation from the Ozarks Neurological Foundation (ONF) of $30,000.

If you would like to learn more about the CoxHealth ALS Clinic, visit https://www.coxhealth.com/services/neuroscience/neurology/ or call 417-875-3087.