Background Statement
The Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center (RMMSC) is a patient and family-centered nonprofit organization that provides a comprehensive and integrated wellness approach to multiple sclerosis (MS) and related diseases, life-changing support services, and innovative research. The mission of RMMSC is to improve the quality of life of individuals and their families living with MS and related neurological diseases through care, support, education, and research.
In 1978, doctors and community leaders in the Denver area recognized a troubling gap in services for people living with MS. Inspired to take action, they created one of the nation's first comprehensive centers dedicated to the study and treatment of MS: the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. It is an immune-mediated disorder, in which the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy tissue in the CNS. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50.
In 1992, RMMSC broadened its continuum of care by merging with MS Community Resources. This merger enhanced community services with the addition of the King Adult Day Enrichment Program (KADEP), an innovative and award-winning adult day program designed to provide holistic support to individuals with neurological disabilities. KADEP opened its doors in 1991 with just six program participants in a one-room facility. Today, we serve over 150 clients per year in a 30,000 square foot facility that includes a fully accessible fitness center, a full-size gym, classrooms, a computer lab, a large dining area, gardens, a fountain, and outdoor patio. While the program originally focused on individuals with MS, KADEP has expanded over the years in response to community needs to include a large number of clients with TBI, stroke, and rare neurological diseases.
In 2008, RMMSC partnered with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center to create The Rocky Mountain MS Center at the University of Colorado. Medical Director, Dr. John Corby leads a robust research program and innovative care model serving more than half of the MS patients in Colorado. The team of doctors at CU Anschutz also participates in RMMSC's educational programs.
Today, the Rocky Mountain MS Center serves more than 16,000 people through our education programs, counseling, young professionals network, hydrotherapy, online weekly exercise classes, adult day enrichment program, and through the Rocky Mountain MS Center at CU.
The Rocky Mountain MS Center focuses its resources on four major offerings:
CARE: The Rocky Mountain MS Center at the University of Colorado offers comprehensive patient care that serves the Rocky Mountain Region. The King Adult Day Enrichment Program is a home away from home for people with MS and other neurological diseases, as well as those living with brain injury and stroke.
SUPPORT: We are committed to providing services that support individuals and families with MS throughout their entire MS journey. Support services include counseling, online adaptive group exercise classes, our MS Young Professionals Network, a mentorship program for pediatric MS patients, and more.
EDUCATION: Empower patients, families, and health care providers by sharing what we know. We publish and present the most current information about MS online, in print, and at educational seminars. In response to the pandemic, the MS Center expanded education programs and moved online to reach thousands of MS patients around the globe with reliable information, ways to stay healthy and help them feel empowered about their MS journey.
RESEARCH: Build the body of knowledge about MS, and lead the way in research regarding MS treatments, early detection, and biomarkers. The research is used to inform responses to related neurological diseases.