4 “First and foremost, this funding will improve treatments, foster breakthroughs, and elevate the quality of life for ALS patients and families,” Moon added. “It will also help us attract and sustain talented health care providers and innovators here in Florida, allowing us to better educate future caregivers in the ALS arena as we make our patient care facilities some of the world’s very best.” The NSU Health Cathy J. Husman ALS Center, which has been designated as an ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence™, has engaged a team of more than a dozen ALS specialists who provide care to nearly 200 patients from across the U.S. and internationally. The center offers evidence-based, multidisciplinary ALS Husman’s Heart care and services in a supportive atmosphere that emphasizes hope and quality of life. The compassionate team of bilingual health providers addresses all aspects of patients’ physical and emotional well-being, as well as the holistic needs of their families and caretakers. In addition to Locatelli, the accomplished leadership team includes Lauren Tabor-Gray, Ph.D., CCC-SLP; Gabriela Lopes, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., FNP-BC; and Donovan Mott, CCRC. Services offered include clinical research trials, dietetics, low- and high-technology communication aides, neurology, neuropsychology, occupational and physical therapy, power wheelchair seating and mobility evaluations, respiratory therapy, social work services, and swallowing diagnostics. One specific priority is to provide all services in-house to reduce patient and caregiver burden and emphasize the continuity of expert care. Because NSU has grown as a destination for ALS research and care, so has its need for space. Thanks to generous support from NSU Health and benefactors like David Husman, construction is nearly complete on a cutting-edge, 7,500-square-foot research and patient care facility. With a planned opening in February 2025, the new facility will be a world-class destination for ALS research and care in South Florida, featuring specialized diagnostic areas, rehabilitation spaces, expansive clinical rooms, and a family consultation suite. According to Locatelli, co-director of the NSU Health Cathy J. Husman ALS Center and founding director and endowed chair of the NSU Health David and Cathy Husman Neuroscience Institute, “When you receive a gift of this magnitude—or any gift—it’s important that the gift creates tangible improvements and change for the patient and family.” To that end, the new ALS center is being constructed with each patient’s needs in mind. In 2024, Husman also donated $11 million worth of Asian and European sculptures and a collection of original works from the late photographer Marc Hauser. “Because of Mr. Husman’s generous donations, the new clinic will be able to accommodate (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3)
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