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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can bring changes and uncertainty to your life. At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, our experts provide care that helps you feel your best and more confident about your future.

Nationally recognized MS services in the Puget Sound

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health offers services that are recognized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as Centers for Comprehensive Care. This designation represents our commitment to delivering all the services you need and maintaining excellent outcomes.

We are also a proud member of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers. This national group of health care professionals is improving the lives of people with MS through clinical care, education, and research. 

Center for Comprehensive MS Care logo

MS Center at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health: Why choose us?

Highlights of our MS comprehensive care center include: 

  • Skilled specialists: Board-certified neurologists with additional training in MS and decades of experience guide your treatment plan. You can count on us for an accurate diagnosis and treatments responsive to your changing needs. Meet our team.

  • High-volume program: We see more than 1,500 patients per year at our specialty centers. People come to us from across the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska. This depth of experience enables us to successfully treat complex multiple sclerosis cases that don’t respond to standard therapies. 

  • Coordinated care: We offer all the specialists, therapies, and support you need in one program. These capabilities mean you are never alone when facing new symptoms, physical or cognitive changes, and emotional challenges. Learn more about our multidisciplinary approach to MS. 

MS leadership and innovation

To help our community receive the best possible care, we actively participate in regional and national initiatives advancing the field. 

These efforts include: 

  • MS research: Our doctors collaborate with the Benaroya Research Institute to take part in prominent lab-based research studies that answer essential questions about MS. We are paving the way toward one day predicting a person’s diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response. Our team collaborates with programs across the country to accelerate these research efforts.
  • Clinical trials: We have a long history of national MS clinical trial participation and leadership. Research interests include new therapies that may improve symptoms and reduce MS relapse frequency. You may be eligible to take part in these efforts through clinical trials. Read more about our neuroscience research and academics.

MS comprehensive care center services

We provide seamless services throughout your treatment journey. MS-trained neurologists and nurses anticipate your needs and coordinate services to meet them. Our MS comprehensive care center services include:

  • We work with additional providers to confirm your diagnosis, monitor treatment response, and plan for future care needs. These specialists include: 

    • Neuropsychologists assess the impact and severity of issues affecting memory, attention, or thinking.
    • Neuroradiologists are imaging doctors with expertise in conditions affecting the brain, nerves, and spinal cord. They evaluate MRIs to check for new or worsening lesions.
  • Neurorehabilitation services optimize your independence. They also help you cope with temporary or permanent changes in your abilities. Services are available from: 

    • Physical medicine doctors (physiatrists) with a special interest in MS guide your neurorehabilitation plan. 
    • Physical therapists help you perform exercises that relieve muscle stiffness (spasticity).
    • Occupational therapists teach you techniques for completing everyday tasks with a focus on safety.
    • Speech pathologists address issues affecting your ability to speak, swallow, and communicate. 
  • We may call on additional members of the neuroscience team within VMFH or our community  to provide other services you may need. They include: 

  • You may need assessments and therapies from other specialists, including:

    • Gastroenterologists address bowel control issues like neurogenic bowel and treat Crohn’s disease, which sometimes occurs in people with MS. 
    • Psychiatry and behavioral health providers deliver therapies that may ease the impact of cognitive issues and mood swings.
    • Rheumatologists treat patients with additional autoimmune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis. 
    • Urologists treat overactive bladder and urine retention. The team also includes neuro-urologists with additional training in issues related to neurologic conditions (neurogenic bladder).
    • Sleep medicine specialists address issues like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea so you get better quality sleep.
  • We may arrange additional services to address practical matters and relieve discomfort. Supportive care includes services from:

    • Social workers provide emotional support and connect you with local resources. They also help you apply for additional services you may be eligible for.
    • Integrative medicine providers deliver therapies such as massage and acupuncture that ease pain and muscle stiffness.

Your questions about MS answered

At your appointment, specialists take time to explain your diagnosis and address all your concerns. For additional information, read our multiple sclerosis FAQs.

Find a specialist

Our specialists care for patients across the Puget Sound area and beyond. Find an MS specialist near you.