Holy Cross Health receives $25,000 grant from ALS Association

May 20, 2022 – Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic Recognized at Holy Cross Health as a Certified Treatment Center of Excellence^SMThe Florida Chapter of the ALS Association presented the ALS Clinic team with a $25,000 grant to support operational excellence.

The only specialty care center for ALS patients in Broward and Palm Beach counties, the Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic at Holy Cross Health is also just one of five certified treatment centers of Excellence in Florida, nominated by the ALS Association.

“Holy Cross Health’s Multidisciplinary ALS Clinic provides specialist care, medications and technology to treat our patients,” said Mark Doyle, President and CEO of Holy Cross Health. “We are very proud of the work we do at the Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute. Here, patients have access to comprehensive care and cutting-edge research and treatment.

The Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute at Holy Cross Health is one of three national sites offering clinical trials in the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS):

• the Healey Platform Trial is a 24-week trial with the goal of dramatically accelerating the timeline to effective treatments for ALS and providing greater access to trials for everyone affected by the disease. The trial will test the effects of four different drugs, Verdiperstat, CNM-Au8, Pridopidine and Trehalose. To enroll, patients must have a respiratory capacity greater than 50% and an onset of symptoms less than three years old.
• Lab Pals is an observational study that determines biomarkers between ALS and healthy subjects. The study is open and needs healthy subjects to advance the research.
• the Biogenic assay is open to ALS subjects and their family members who have tested positive for the SOD1 gene. If someone has a family history of ALS, the Holy Cross Health ALS Clinic will test the subject for the SOD1 gene.
• CLENE trial is an expanded access program for people living with ALS who are not eligible for the Healey ALS platform. The trial is currently closed for recruitment, but as patients discontinue treatment, new patients may be added.

“We are committed to researching and developing lifesaving therapies to treat patients with ALS,” said Gustavo Alameda, MD, co-director of the ALS Clinic at Holy Cross Health with Nithya Mathai, DNP, APRN, FNP-C. “To advance our ALS research, we have a strong need for patient and, in some cases, family member involvement.”

Holy Cross Health opened the Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute and the Phil Smith ALS and Movement Disorders Clinic in 2018. More than 15 neurologists and rehabilitation specialists from the Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute provide comprehensive neurological and neurosurgical care for a variety of conditions.

The Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute is located at 1931 NE 47^and St., Fort Lauderdale. If you have any questions, please call 954-542-3450 or visit the ALS Clinic on the Holy Cross Health website.

About Sainte-Croix Santé:

A member of Trinity Health, Holy Cross Hospital of Fort Lauderdale, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, non-profit Catholic teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross was named one of the Top 10 Hospitals in Metro Miami in US News and World Report’s 2021-2022 Top Hospitals Rankings. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transformative and healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as trusted health partner for the life of our community. Holy Cross Health also encompasses the Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 50 Holy Cross Medical Group medical practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit Holy-cross.com. Connect @holycross

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