Currently, you can find quite a few multiple sclerosis (MS) specialty centers around the country, each offering some variation on this ideal arrangement. The Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC), an organization for health professionals involved in MS care, lists its member centers.
In addition, you can find a constantly growing list of Centers for Comprehensive Care recognized by the National MS Society. Even though many good MS centers exist, there aren’t enough. So, the reality is that you may need to create your own team.
So how did this team approach evolve? Beginning in the late 1970s, experts in the MS field recognized the potential impact of MS on a person’s physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and vocational well-being. They realized that a team approach was needed to provide the necessary care and support to individuals and families living with MS (think “it takes a village ...”).
Their idea was for each person with MS to be seen by a team of professionals who work collaboratively in a single place (think of it as one-stop shopping). Patients benefit from receiving coordinated, comprehensive care without having to find each of these specialists independently. Clinicians benefit because they can pool their expertise and support each other’s efforts to provide optimal care.
