"Awareness is the cornerstone of our mission," said Bill Bell, Northwest Parkinson's Foundation cofounder and executive director. "People need to know what Parkinson's is, and that there are resources to help them live better with the disease."

Bell's mother has had Parkinson's disease for more than 22 years. She's the reason he set out in 1998 with friend and colleague Craig Howard, whose mother also has Parkinson's, to launch a nonprofit organization to fill the void they perceived in awareness, education, advocacy and care for this region's Parkinson's families.

Care was the first order of business, Bell said. His goal was to launch a one-stop specialty care facility for Parkinson's people "a center of excellence in our own back yard," he said.

The outcome was the Kirkland-based Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center, founded by the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation in partnership with Evergreen Healthcare in 2000.

The Center embodies a rare approach to patient wellbeing: a multidisciplinary team. At the Center, Parkinson's-specializing neurologists, neuropsychologists, physical and occupational therapists, speech and swallowing specialists, nurses and educators work together toward each patient's highest quality of life.

"We're starting to see the Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center emerge as a model of care in this country and elsewhere," Bell said. He reports that at a recent international Parkinson's conference, he was pleased to meet others who have begun to embrace the idea of a patient-centered team approach for treating Parkinson's disease. Bell said he expects to see facilities modeled on the Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center cropping up in other communities in the years to come.

In addition to its partnership with the Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center, the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation provides education and support to an estimated 15,000 Parkinson's families annually in the Northwest and beyond. Services include:

• A toll-free resource line for patients and caregivers 1.877.980.7500
• Personalized "care packets" mailed to new constituents who call for resources
• An educational website at www.hopeforparkinsons.org 
• A bimonthly educational publication, the Parkinson's Post
• A weekly email newsletter featuring the latest science in Parkinson's
• An online caregiver curriculum at www.parkinsonseducator.org 

The Northwest Parkinson's Foundation also publishes the book, H.O.P.E. Four Keys to a Better Quality of Life for Parkinson's People, and the booklet Who Cares for the Caregiver? 16 Helpful Ideas on How to Help the Parkinson's Person and Still Take Care of Yourself.

Bell invited requests for any of these materials. "All our educational and support resources are free for patients and their families," he said.