Cooper University Health Care has received a grant of nearly $900,000 over three years through the ALS Association’s Hoffman ALS Clinic Development Award to establish a new multidisciplinary ALS clinic, significantly expanding access to specialized care for patients across South Jersey.
The need is real and geographic.
Many South Jersey residents with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, currently have to travel long distances for coordinated, multidisciplinary care, often to northern New Jersey or out of state, including nearby Philadelphia.
Insurance limitations and transportation barriers can make that trip especially difficult, sometimes requiring several hours of travel by public transportation for patients who already face advanced mobility limitations — delays that can push back diagnosis and treatment, particularly for patients on Medicaid.
There’s evidence that patients live longer and better lives under the care of a multidisciplinary clinic, which is the model Cooper is building toward.
The initiative will be led by Dr. Joseph Campellone, a board-certified neurologist and neuromuscular specialist at Cooper and Inspira Neuroscience who has cared for people with ALS and other neuromuscular diseases for three decades.
Campellone, who also serves as a professor of neurology at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, said the clinic addresses a longstanding gap in the region.
“Our region has long faced a critical gap in access to multidisciplinary ALS care,” he said. “This clinic will ensure that patients, regardless of insurance status or geographic location, can receive the expert, coordinated care they need within their own community.”
The planned clinic will bring together specialists in neurology, pulmonology, rehabilitation medicine and supportive care to deliver evidence-based ALS treatment in a single, coordinated setting. Its goals include:
- Reducing time to diagnosis and treatment
- Streamlining appointments to lessen patient burden
- Improving communication among care teams
- Expanding access to on-site evaluations and advanced therapies
- Supporting patients facing financial and transportation barriers
By moving from a fragmented care model to a centralized, multidisciplinary one, Cooper aims to improve outcomes and the overall care experience for ALS patients. The health system’s long-term goal is to become the leading ALS care clinic in southern New Jersey and earn designation as an ALS Association Center of Excellence.
