May 1, 2024
Tacoma ALS clinic recognized for high-quality care
Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, benefit from highly coordinated, complete team care.
Edward Tay, MD, and Luci Wilcox, RN, ensure Kaiser Permanente members in Washington with ALS have the best possible care experience.
John Winkelman felt loved after he was serenaded and ate cake on his 87th birthday. The party wasn’t at home or a fancy restaurant. It capped off a half-day with his care team at the Kaiser Permanente ALS clinic in Seattle.
Winkelman was a patient at the clinic from his diagnosis in July 2019 until he died in April 2022. “This is truly a remarkable team,” wrote his wife, Nancy Winkelman, in a letter to Kaiser Permanente about the high level of care and compassion he received from the clinic team.
This is what Kaiser Permanente is about: providing integrated, coordinated care. We make it very easy for patients to get all of their care in one place at one time. Edward Tay, MD
People with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) require care and services from a variety of doctors, therapists, and others. Navigating the appointments, medications, and therapies can be confusing and exhausting.
Edward Tay, MD, a neurologist for Kaiser Permanente in Washington, knew his patients with ALS would benefit from a more coordinated system of care. So, in 2017, he and a team opened Kaiser Permanente’s first ALS clinics in Washington at our medical facilities in Tacoma and Capitol Hill, in Seattle.
Kaiser Permanente’s ALS patients in Washington receive comprehensive care in a single appointment.
“This is what Kaiser Permanente is about: providing integrated, coordinated care,” said Dr. Tay. “We make it very easy for patients to get all of their care in one place at one time.”
Recognized for excellence
The ALS Association recently named our Tacoma clinic a Recognized Treatment Center. This means it meets the association’s strict care and treatment standards. Our Capitol Hill clinic is also seeking certification.
We now operate ALS clinics everywhere we provide care across the country. Our ALS care teams share information and best practices to ensure all patients benefit from Kaiser Permanente’s collective expertise.
“We all have one purpose: to do the best for our patients,” said Luci Wilcox, RN, clinic coordinator at both the Tacoma and Capitol Hill ALS clinics.
Focused care and compassion
“We learned early on that Luci Wilcox is the heart and soul of the clinic,” wrote Nancy Winkelman.
“This is a long, exhausting afternoon, but she organizes our schedule to make the day as easy as possible for us. She has called me at home just to check on us, and I always know that she is there for us should a problem come up. Luci is simply amazing!
“After our first clinic visit, Carol Ann Chandler, respiratory therapist, handed John a paper with words she had written about him. She told him that everyone has a story and this was what she had learned about him. This personal connection meant so much to both of us.
“While the number of patients served may be small, the impact on each of us is enormous,” she continued.
I feel truly privileged to be part of their journey, doing everything I can for these patients and their families. Luci Wilcox, RN
High standard of care
ALS is a condition that gradually stops the brain from controlling muscles. There’s no cure, but patients can live for years after diagnosis.
Kaiser Permanente members with ALS visit a clinic 3 to 4 times per year for highly coordinated care. In Washington, Wilcox schedules 20-minute sessions for patients to meet with as many as 9 clinicians, including doctors, breathing specialists, various therapists, a dietitian, and social workers from both Kaiser Permanente and the local ALS Association chapter.
“I feel truly privileged to be part of their journey, doing everything I can for these patients and their families,” Wilcox said. “I think of them as part of my family. It’s a passion for me.”
