About US

Multiple Sclerosis afflicts one person in a thousand and the number is growing – either due to better diagnosis or to a higher rate of incidence – its consequences cannot be ignored.  Although there are several types of MS, the common denominator among them is that they are all degenerative, can be severely debilitating, and cause suffering in many forms over a prolonged period of time.  The prevalence of the disease and its impact on the population as a whole makes assistance for those affected an imperative.

The MS Centers of Florida Foundation (MSCFF) remarkably originated as a joint initiative between an MS patient and a neurologist with the goal of enhancing the quality of life – psychologically, socially, medically, and financially – of those afflicted with the disease.  The organization is also committed to supporting and assisting research in the search for better treatments and a cure.  Though relatively new, MSCFF has assisted hundreds of persons and families in Florida and, more importantly, has identified ways in which additional assistance can be rendered effectively.

One of the ways in which MSCFF will be more effective is through a comprehensive approach to care.  Over the next few years MSCFF plans to establish a comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center (MSC) in Miami under the auspices of a neuroscience facility also concentrating on movement and memory disorders.  The neuroscience facility will include the Florida Neuroimaging Analysis Center (FNAC) which will acquire, house, and operate a 3Tesla research grade MRI system, the most advanced medical imaging tool currently available in the world.  The FNAC research protocols will be run by Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, one of the top internationally recognized MRI research scientists.  The FNAC will provide state of the art MRI scans, surpassing the quality of the images currently available for diagnosis, and management of MS, while also engaging in world class research with proprietary protocols specifically designed for MS patients.

There are currently no comprehensive MS centers in the state of Florida; with the closest such facility being located in Atlanta, Georgia, Floridians can only count on fragmented care through multiple providers.  The comprehensive MS Center together with its MRI research component will provide a full range of clinical services to MS patients and their caregivers including evaluation and management, infusion treatments, rehabilitation therapies, MRI scanning and analysis, clinical research trials as well as educational programs for better understanding and management of the disease state.  MSCFF will work towards becoming a major regional patient resource center by using the knowledge and experience gained to date to enhance and expand services offered as well as the geographic area in which those services are made available.

In addition to building on previously successful educational and social service programs for the MS community, MSCFF will directly contribute to the development of a Florida MS data bank through the operations of the FNAC.  Given the scope of the neuroscience facility, the MSC will naturally become a national site for clinical research trials in addition to the research being conducted by the FNAC.

This important initiative represents an extraordinary alignment of complimentary resources that presently allow for the development of a comprehensive treatment, research and educational facility in Miami through the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation (NSCFF) which will work in conjunction with the MSCFF to further its mission.  This project is strongly supported by other non-profit organizations and leaders of the community concerned with the devastating effects of highly impacting degenerative diseases on our community resources and our economy as a whole.  The expected benefits to the public – both to those afflicted with MS and to other portions of the population – are manifest.  Consolidation of diagnosis, treatment, research, and education in a comprehensive “medical home” will not only facilitate access to the public but will streamline costs through better efficiency.