According to the World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International, the annual costs worldwide associated with dementia totaled $604 billion in 2010. A new case is diagnosed every four seconds.

In the United States, the toll of dementia as a chronic disease is increasing with the aging of the baby boomers. Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death and Parkinson’s disease is not far behind (No. 14). The toll is also great for the 15 million caregivers who spend an average of 21.9 hours weekly caring for family members.

In October, the 91Ě˝»¨Medicine Memory and Brain Wellness Center opened at Harborview. The Center is the result of four years of planning. It provides expert diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders causing memory loss and dementia, tailors and supports best management, and will link state-of-the-art clinical evaluation and care with research programs in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, latent degenerative disease detection and treatment, and care delivery.

The CenterÂąs director, Dr. Thomas Grabowski, 91Ě˝»¨professor of radiology and neurology, said  that its mission is to “advance the day when threats to memory and brain health are detected and prevented as standard of care.”

Avellino added that this is an “opportunity of a lifetime” to develop an innovative model of care that improves the health of people around the world.

As part of the Neurosciences Institute, this multidisciplinary center will link clinical evaluation and care with research programs in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. It builds on 91Ě˝»¨Medicine’s expertise in neuroimaging (MR, SPECT, PET/CT) and biomarker translational research. 91Ě˝»¨Medicine is one of only two sites in the country with an National Institutes of Health-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research, and a longitudinal Adult Changes in Thought study. conducted in partnership with Group Health Research Institute

“Diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, can affect the body and mind in different ways,” said Dr. Thomas Montine, 91Ě˝»¨professor and chair of pathology. “By accelerating research and conducting clinical trials, 91Ě˝»¨Medicine is seizing the opportunity to be a global leader for discovering better strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat these diseases.” Montine  directs the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research

In support of healthcare reform, another objective will be to control the spiraling costs associated with dementia.

“ 91Ě˝»¨Medicine’s Behavioral Health Integration Program,” said Dr. Richard Veith, 91Ě˝»¨professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, “provides a model for leveraging the expertise of scarce mental health specialists to increase access to treatment for common mental health problems in community and primary care settings. Our studies show excellent patient and practitioner satisfaction, superb treatment outcomes, and cost savings.”

He added, “We plan to apply the same approach to treating dementia by supporting a community-based delivery system that is patient-centered, population-based, measurement-based and evidence-based.”

The clinic manager is Tracy Boyd.

The Memory and Brain Wellness Center is located at Harborview in the Senior Care Clinic. Expansion plans include moving to the Ninth & Jefferson Building and offering clinic services five days a week in 2014.

Beginning May 1, Airlift Northwest will station a Turbo Commander aircraft in Juneau to allow the medical transport service to reach more people living in outlying rural communities in Southeast Alaska.

Airlift has served Southeast Alaska for over 30 years transporting critically ill or injured patients to specialty care in Anchorage or Seattle, and will continue this service. Airlift currently operates a Learjet, which has limitations landing in smaller communities due to shorter airport runways.

The Turbo Commander is better suited to land on shorter runways allowing improved access to the smaller community airports based in Gustavas, Haines, Hoonah, Kake, Prince of Wales Island and Skagway.

“Airlift Northwest is dedicated to saving lives by providing pre-hospital emergency treatment on the ground and in the air,” said Chris Martin, executive director. “In response to requests for improved access to medical transport from providers in Southeast Alaska, we are pleased to offer this new service.”

“The turboprop will allow us to access patients who, in the past, have had to make their way to an area where we could get them in the Learjet. Now we won’t see that delay,” said Dr. Richard Utarnachitt, medical director for Airlift.

Patient care will be provided by two critical care nurses with current certifications in advanced skills for cardiac life support, pediatric life support, neonatal resuscitation and trauma care.

Airlift Northwest, an entity of 91Ě˝»¨Medicine, provides medical transport to critically ill and injured adults and children throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. It operates six bases in Washington and Alaska.

Airlift also announced recently that it will permanently base a Turbo Commander aircraft in Yakima to provide communities in Central Washington with improved access to urgent medical transport. Communities served by the Yakima-based crew include Wenatchee, Ellensburg, Omak, Moses Lake, the Tri-Cities, Sunnyside, Toppenish and other Central Washington locations.

91Ě˝»¨Medicine will launch a multi-media initiative April 1 to provide consumers with health and wellness information. In partnership with Fisher Communications, 91Ě˝»¨Medicine also will increase awareness of the latest treatments and medical breakthroughs at 91Ě˝»¨Medicine.

“In support of our mission to improve the health of the public, 91Ě˝»¨Medicine recognizes the need to encourage each member of our community to take responsibility for their personal health,” said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, CEO of 91Ě˝»¨Medicine. “With this initiative, our audiences will gain valuable knowledge and tools for engaging in preventive care and establishing rewarding personal health behaviors.”

“The new initiative is part of 91Ě˝»¨Medicine’s overall strategy to provide comprehensive care for our community,” said Johnese Spisso, 91Ě˝»¨Medicine’s chief health system officer. “It will highlight 91Ě˝»¨Medicine’s expertise in a broad range of primary care and specialty fields while helping consumers make informed decisions about their treatment options in our health system.”

Look for:

• Regular television and radio spots featuring 91Ě˝»¨Medicine experts and patients.on Fisher Communication’s KOMO News, KOMO News Radio and STAR 101.5. Topics for the first three months include heart, vascular and brain health.

• A new dedicated website, 91Ě˝»¨Medicine Health, . It will have timely news items, features and columns about health and wellness, medical research advances and patient stories.

KOMO news anchor Molly Shen will introduce the program to viewers and listeners of KOMO News, KOMO News Radio and Star 101.5. The first series of TV and radio spots on heart health will begin April 8. During these segments, 91Ě˝»¨Medicine experts and patients will share stories and insights about the care they received at 91Ě˝»¨Medicine.

This month’s articles on heart health include:

• 91Ě˝»¨Medicine Regional Heart Center leads in heart care.
• How to reduce your risk of coronary artery disease.
• New defibrillator for treating heart rhythm disorders.
• Multi-specialty care saves a triathlon runner with heart disease.

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For more information, contact 91Ě˝»¨Medicine Strategic Marketing & Communications at 206-543-3620.