SSM Health Medical Minute: SSM Health has the only ALS Association-certified clinic in St. Louis
People who live with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS, require the care and expertise of multiple medical specialists working in combination to help slow the progression of the disease.
ALS is a disease that attacks the nerves, the brain and the spinal cord. ALS does not typically affect a person’s mind or senses, but it does progressively restrict movement, including the muscles required for breathing and swallowing.
SSM Health has the only known ALS Association-certified clinic in St. Louis at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital.
Dr. Ghazala Hayat, a professor of neurology and the director of the ALS Center of Excellence, works together with patients.
“Research for ALS has been going on for many years. I’ve been involved, with the ALS Care and observational and interventional studies for over 35 years,” she said.
Her ALS clinic team includes nurses, neuropsychologists, GI specialists, pulmonologists, OT, PT, speech, respiratory, nutrition, and social worker specialties who come together for each patient. ALS patients can be seen by the entirety of the clinic team in one visit, rather than making multiple appointments to coordinate care with the experts as a central point of care for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.
ALS patients have a wide range of needs.
“If patients are listening to this or their loved ones or anybody knows, the best thing is to be referred to a multidisciplinary clinic. It provides, I think, much better care,” Hayat said.
She also says there are benefits to participating in clinical trials, where patients can access new therapies.
“It’s such a devastating disorder and patients are willing to fight with us. That gives me hope every time I’m with a patient,” she said.
SLU Hospital researchers are actively working to find a cure.
To learn more about the signs, symptoms and treatment for ALS, click here.
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