World-class Neurological Care

More than 10 million Americans suffer from neurological degenerative and related neurological diseases. The U.S. population age 65 and older will double by 2030, growing to 70 million people. Since advancing age is the most significant risk factor for neurological disease, Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's and other dementia are expected to nearly quadruple by the year 2048. These figures represent a growing neurological crisis, not only in the United States, but in South Florida.

Cleveland Clinic Florida aggressively responded to the needs of our community by building a leading-edge neurological program. As part of our unprecedented philanthropic campaign, we have expanded and enhanced our facilities and programs to provide comprehensive services in a single location at our Weston campus. The Pauline Braathen Neurological Center now offers a disease-specific, patient focused approach to care and serves as a vital resource for community efforts in prevention, early detection, education, outreach and support.

Patient Care

"Patients First" is at the core of the vision of the Braathen Neurological Center, named in honor of Ms. Braathen's generosity as Cleveland Clinic Florida's largest, single philanthropic donor. The Center's goal is to provide a patient-centric innovative approach with a complete range of diagnostic, treatment, education and support services.

Cleveland Clinic Florida's approach to neurological care allows us to focus the energies of our entire team on providing the best outcomes for our patients. The Center is divided into a number of disease-specific clinical centers in which neurologists, neurosurgeons, oncologists and other specialists work across teams to address the complex problems that neurological patients encounter, and to develop research strategies to advance patient care.

Our team is an integral part of the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute of Ohio and the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada. This collaboration brings together more than 300 medical, surgical and research specialists dedicated to the treatment of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Our unique, fully integrated model strengthens our current standard of care, allows us to measure quality and outcomes on a continual basis, and enhances our ability to conduct research.

The Braathen Neurological Center is distinctively qualified to provide comprehensive care in treating stroke, neuromuscular diseases, multiple sclerosis, headaches, movement disorders, spine, epilepsy and dementias.

What the Braathen Neurological Center offers:

  • Patient-centered care is integrated into every aspect of an individualized treatment plan. The plan is tailored to each patient and may include recommendations for medications, physical exercise, diet, cognitive rehabilitation, participation in clinical trials and family support. In addition, there is a designated gymnasium, speech therapist, craft room for projects to improve healing, and comprehensive resource centers
  • The expansion added a Neuro-interventional Suite in the hospital offering the latest advances in aneurism and stroke repair, a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a functional MRI for location of brain function/surgery. The addition of a high resolution computerized tomography (CT) scanner and a therapeutic suite with the most advanced radiosurgery equipment, Varian Edge, enhances care for patients with brain tumors and cancer affecting the neurological system.
  • Improvements were made to our neurophysiology laboratory increasing the number and capabilities which will enable the creation of a regional diagnostic/reference center including muscle and nerve pathology.
  • Enhancement of the headache program with a fellowship-trained neurologist.
  • Patient resource and education center that provides patients access to numerous resource materials and support groups for patients and caregivers.
  • A Physical Therapy Suite with a highly skilled physical therapist specializing in the rehabilitation of patients with the various illness or injury to the nervous system.

Neurological Research

The next generation of progress in neurological care depends upon transformative research and clinical trials which are the link between science and safe, effective patient care. The multisite organization of the Cleveland Clinic Alzheimer's clinical trials consortium is novel and includes trial sites at Cleveland Clinics in Las Vegas; Cleveland and Lakewood, Ohio; and Weston, Florida. With the new Neurological Center, the department will be able to take full advantage of telemedicine capabilities to facilitate national and international collaboration.

Physician Recruitment and Medical Education

Support for the next generation of talented neurological scientists and experts is critical to the Center’s mission and passion for discovery and service to humanity and the expansion will enhance the recruitment of physicians and scientists who excel in the most demanding fields of medicine and allow for coordinated care among world-class physicians, including educational collaboration with international health providers and planned post-graduate fellowships.