The big buzz in Parkinson’s Land is the expert panel of neuros warning of a coming Pandemicof Parkinson’s cases. Their projection of PD incidence doubling by 2040 is notnews.
Their hyperbolic language is new. “Pay attention higher powers in healthcare and government,” would seem the panel’s urgent message.
But the panel omitted mention the real catastropheheaded for Parkie patients like me.
There are only 50 neuros in training in the U.S. to become top-shelf experts in Parkinson’s and related disorders. Their title is Mobility Disease Specialist (MDS). (I double-checked that number with the estimable Michael Okun. “Accurate,” he wrote.)
Baby-boomer docs of all persuasions are reaching retirement age. That most definitely includes MDSers.
I live in Macon, heart of Middle Georgia, comprising about two-dozen counties. We have NO practicing MDS neuros. Not one.
The closest centers with MDS neuros are Atlanta, Augusta (GA), Jacksonville (FL) and Gainesville (FL). From Macon, that’s a one-way drive of between two and five hours. Ouch!
Patients need an MDS to prescribe –precisely– medications and to help write a personal healthcare plan.
Experience tells that such a plan comprises three essential components: 1. Informed and empowered patient and care partner. 2. An integrated healthcare team. 3. A local Parkinson’s Center, virtual or bricks-and-mortar, that assists a patient locate resources necessary to fulfill their plan and “Live Well” with their disability.
Those 50 neuros in MDS training translates to roughly one per state.
Ponder that Titanic mismatch.
shufflingeditor.com 
Real sorry to hear about the MDS shortage in Georgia. Have you tried the web site https://invigoratept.com, I have had Parkinson’s for fifty (50) years and it is the site of choice for me. I know that it cannot replace an MDS but it is the next best thing, keeps you active and challenged.
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