Albuquerque Journal

Help Parkinson’s patients

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It’s astonishin­g to learn that while New Mexico has an estimated 9,000 people living with Parkinson’s disease, our state has just three specialist­s in movement disorders.

That shortage often means patients can wait nine months for an appointmen­t — a serious problem given symptoms can change, worsen or multiply, and medication­s can have terrible side effects.

Several individual­s suffering from Parkinson’s, their loved ones and others descended on the Roundhouse last Wednesday to advocate for a memorial calling for the creation of a Movement Disorders Center in the state. The memorial asks the University of New Mexico Board of Regents to develop a plan for such a center and to report back by Nov. 1.

They should. Because while the cost of such a center is unclear, given the need that exists here, our state has a moral obligation to explore whether we can make it happen.

Parkinson’s is a neurologic­al disease that makes it difficult for people to control and coordinate their movements. Symptoms can include tremors and shaking, anxiety and depression, vision problems and slurred speech. There’s no cure, but symptoms can be managed with medication­s, even surgery.

Parkinson’s patient Yara Pitchford told lawmakers last week that “not being able to be seen by a physician as frequently as you’d like leaves one feeling quite helpless.”

UNM regents and the UNM Health Sciences Center should make this a priority and move quickly; people are suffering.

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