Posted on February 7, 2013

Hilton Foundation Awards $1.3 Million to Multiple Sclerosis Center

The Cleveland Clinic has announced a three-year, $1.3 million gift from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

The MS Center will use the funds to pay for advanced diagnostic equipment, increase staff on its team of MS specialists, and expand patient education programs and outreach efforts to better serve the MS community in southern Nevada as well as underserved communities around the state. Timothy West, director of the MS program at the Ruvo Center and currently the only dedicated MS specialist in southern Nevada, will conduct the first MS clinical trials at the center, bringing Phase II and Phase III trials to the state.

"We're very grateful for the opportunity to expand our program in an effort to provide optimal care for the MS population in Nevada," said West, who spends one day a week diagnosing and treating patients at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. "The grant will allow the center to implement our first MS clinical research trial and will also build our skilled team of nurses, technicians, social workers, and research coordinators."