MS Hope Foundation

Multiple Sclerosis specialized nurses are wonderful resources. If you receive care at an MS Center, chances are you have already gotten to know the nurses. What some people don’t realize is that you also have a team of MS nurses through the pharmaceutical company that manufactures your disease modifying treatment (DMT). As a provider, I encourage all of my patients to take advantage of this resource. And as someone living with MS, I have often turned to them for care and advice.

In order to highlight the excellent work that these MS Nurses do, I spoke with Denise Chicoine, who works as a nurse at Genzyme’s One to One Program. Denise has been a nurse for nearly 30 years, working in a variety of settings. She is also passionate about education and particularly enjoys working one-on-one with her patients and their families so that they can better understand and manage their health. Her interest in multiple sclerosis first began while she was working as a home health nurse, where she cared for a lot of people with MS. Being on top of patient care is essential in this area, that is why the utilization of EMS care patient report software and other types similar to it, can be a massive support in ensuring patients are getting the care they need in a professional manner whilst dealing with their MS.

In some cases, people with MS need home care assistance, especially if they live alone, luckily with the use of these new software programs, click here to learn more, patients are able to be helped efficiently and effectively so they do not feel alone. Many people even prefer to stay at senior homes where they could be looked after in a proper manner. Nowadays, many people prefer to open a senior home care business that can help them make money as well as work towards making the world a better place for elderly people (click here to know how to start a senior home care business). With so many home care establishments opening up in the country, elderly people with MS can access proper care and treatment through these homes.

Coming back to Denise, she feels strongly that people living with MS should get the best care possible. She is particularly proud that people can call and speak with a One to One nurse 24/7, which is often helpful when someone has a question on an evening or weekend when they can’t reach their provider. She has also found that some people are more comfortable when talking to a nurse over the phone. They often feel that they are able to speak more freely, especially about things they have a difficult time discussing with their friends and family.

All of the nurses on the other end of the phone are certified (perhaps with the CNA School of Certification) or in the process of becoming certified, as MS nurses. This means that they must have a minimum of two years experience in MS and have passed a national certification exam. They are available to answer questions about MS, MS treatments, how to manage the cost of treatment, and they can help connect you with community resources. They make house calls as well! For patients on injectable medications, your MS nurse will not only be there for your first injection, but can revisit you if you are having frequent injection-site reactions, and will offer to do refresher training as needed. “We are on the front lines, and work hard everyday to improve the lives of our patients,” Denise stated.

To speak with an MS Nurse, you can contact your pharmaceutical company’s patient support program. Below I’ve listed contact information for these programs:

Aubagio, Lemtrada (Sanofi Genzyme)
MS One to One

• https://www.aubagio.com/ms-one-to-one
• https://www.lemtrada.com/resources-and-support/lemtrada-support
• 1-855-MSOne2One (1-855-676-6326)

Avonex, Plegridy, Tecfidera, Tysabri, Zinbryta (Biogen)
Above MS

• www.tecfidera.com/join-biogen-support/
• https://www.avonex.com/en_us/home/above-ms-program/join-biogen-support.html
• https://www.tysabri.com/en_us/home/join-biogen-support/join-biogen-support.html
• https://www.plegridy.com/en_us/home/above-ms-program/nurse-educators.html
• 1-800-456-2255

Betaseron (Bayer)
BETA

• https://www.betaseron.com/beta-nurse-support
• 1-800-788-1467

Copaxone (Teva)
Shared Solutions

• www.copaxone.com/shared-solutions
• 1-800-887-8100

Extavia (Novartis)
Extavia Go

• http://www.extavia.com/info/PatientSupport/Patient-support-program.jsp
• 1-866-EXTAVIA (1-866-398-2842)

Gilenya (Novartis)
Gilenya Go Program

• https://www.gilenyahcp.com/gilenya-go-program
• 1-800-Gilenya (800-445-3692)

Glatopa (Sandoz – a Novartis company)
GlatopaCare

• http://www.glatopa.com/glatopa_care/
• 1-855-GLATOPA (1-855-452-8672)

Rebif
MS Lifelines

• https://www.mslifelines.com/index
• 1-877-447-3243

Article by: Stephanie Buxhoeveden MSCN, FNP-BC Stephanie is a nurse practitioner who was diagnosed with MS at age 25. Shortly after being diagnosed she realized she could use her experiences as a patient to make a difference in the lives of others, so she became a multiple sclerosis certified nurse. Stephanie completed her master’s in nursing at Rutgers University, and now specializes in the care of people with MS and other neurological diseases.

Her blog, www.justkeepsmyelin.com, offers a unique perspective on MS from both a healthcare provider’s point of view, and through the eyes of a person living with the disease every day. Her mission is to bring compassion, humor, and a deeper understanding of MS to anyone who reads it. She also writes forMultipleSclerosis.net, MSFocus Magazine, serves as a District Activist Leader for the National MS Society and is on the membership committee of iConquerMS.

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