EVMS receives $15M to create neurodegenerative disease institute
NORFOLK — Eastern Virginia Medical School will create an institute for Parkinson’s disease and other movement and cognitive disorders, such as dementia, establishing a first-of-its-kind center in Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach residents Lawrence and Janice Goldrich plan to give EVMS $15 million over time to start the neurodegenerative disease institute, making it the largest financial gift from a family the school has ever received. Previously, the school’s largest donation had come from Richard and Leah Waitzer for a new academic building recently opened at the corner of Brambleton and Colley avenues.
EVMS is a hybrid public-private institution. It has received less government funding than other
medical schools in Virginia that are connected to state universities. That means it depends on privately raised money from the community.
The school plans to name the institute after one of the donors, calling it the EVMS Lawrence J. Goldrich Institute for Integrated NeuroHealth. The program at the medical school was first considered last October. During those initial conversations, the concept was broadened from Parkinson’s and other movement disorders to all neurodegenerative syndromes.
Lawrence Goldrich, a real estate developer, has Parkinson’s disease. The family said in a statement that his personal struggle forced it to realize the treatment options and resources in the region were limited, “adding to the frustration of simply living with the disease.”
About 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year in the United States, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. And Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today, there are no known cures for any neurodegenerative disorders.
The institute, which will be structured as a joint venture with Sentara Healthcare, will provide multidisciplinary care for people suffering from these disorders. It also plans to give patients access to new drug therapies and clinical trials.
The institute wants to begin accepting patients in 2022.
Beyond the research goals for the center, staffers want to connect patients and their families with support services and palliative care, school officials said.
Today, there is a lack of specialty doctors and health care workers for neurodegenerative disorders in the region. As the population ages, the number of people living with these conditions is expected to dramatically increase.
Clinical space for the program will be on the fourth floor of Andrews Hall.