Riverside Multiple Sclerosis Center is One of Six Practices in Virginia to Earn Society’s Highest Designation
Riverside team members receive plaque from National MS Society representatives at the dedication of the Riverside MS Center during MS Awareness Week. Front row, from left to right: Sherri Ellis, President of the Virginia – West Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society; Kim Meyer, LPN and Missy Herncall, LPN from Riverside Neurology; Sally Ryan, Vice President of Physician Services and Chief Operating Officer at Riverside Medical Group. Back row, from left to right: Darren Ball, Manager of Healthcare Provider Engagement for the National MS Society; Kermit Lloyd, MD, Director of the Riverside MS Center; Sandy Snapp, RN, BSN, Service Line Administrator for Riverside Neuroscience and Spine Institute.
Caring for and addressing the challenges faced by patients living with Multiple Sclerosis can be complex, and because of its commitment to providing exceptional and coordinated care, the Riverside Multiple Sclerosis Center has been officially recognized as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Managed through the Society’s Partners in MS Care program, the Center for Comprehensive MS Care designation helps ensure patients get access to the best MS care, treatment methods and advanced medication available anywhere. It puts the Riverside MS Center in the top tier of a select group of providers nationally and across the Commonwealth. In Virginia, the Riverside Center is one of only six practices to have earned the esteemed designation.
“Our Partners in MS Care program emphasizes the importance of treating multiple sclerosis with a team approach,” said Sherri Ellis, President of the Virginia – West Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society. “For most people with MS, the neurologist serves as their team leader of specialists in occupational and physical therapy, neuropsychology, nursing, speech therapy and sometimes additional areas. The Riverside MS Center exemplifies the multidisciplinary approach by not only providing access to these services, but coordinating the care for their patients with MS.”
MS is a chronic neurological disease that has no known cause or cure. Affecting a patient’s brain and spinal cord, the symptoms can include visual disturbances, muscle weakness, coordination issues, and memory problems. It is the most prevalent of the degenerative neurological conditions faced by younger adults, affecting about one in 1,000 people.
“Multiple Sclerosis is difficult for patients and doctors alike, and while there is no cure, a multidisciplinary treatment plan and innovative medications can go a long way in controlling this complex disease and helping patients lead better lives,” said Kermit Lloyd, MD, Director of the Riverside Multiple Sclerosis Center. “This recognition underscores Riverside’s ability to manage MS treatment at the highest possible level and deliver excellence across all areas of neurological disease.”
The Riverside MS Center currently treats more than 1,000 patients from all over southeastern Virginia and beyond. As part of the National MS Society's Partners in MS Care program, the Center is among a qualified group of committed providers whose practices support affordable access to high-quality healthcare for everyone living with MS – regardless of geography, disease progression and other disparities.
“Seeing a doctor who is a MS specialist, it’s much more comforting,” said Jeff Kerr, an MS patient treated by Lloyd since 2012. “Dr. Lloyd is aware of all the different care options, he’s very sensitive to the needs of an MS patient, and he understands what I am going through.”
“I’m pretty particular about my health care, and I fight for what’s right,” Kerr added. “And Dr. Lloyd has been a saving grace for me. I’m thrilled.”
The Center for Comprehensive MS Care designation further extends Riverside’s access to cutting-edge research projects and clinical trials of new MS drugs, and it marks the latest development in Riverside Health System’s push for excellence across a broad spectrum of neuroscience care. Riverside Regional Medical Center was designated a Comprehensive Stroke Center by DNV GL Healthcare in 2015.
For more information, visit the Riverside Multiple Sclerosis Center online or call 757-534-5100.