Parkinson Association of the Rockies

Background Statement

In 1980, a group of people with Parkinson's disease and their neurologists formed a Denver-based support group to offer emotional and psychological support to newly-diagnosed Parkinson's patients. In 1982, the Association obtained its 501(c) (3) status, allowing it to raise funds to expand its reach and services. Since that time, the Parkinson Association has grown into a statewide grassroots support and education organization, and it is the only organization of its kind in the state. Over the years, people with Parkinson's disease and physicians in neighboring states have expressed steady interest in Parkinson Association of the Rockies' work, prompting expansions into Wyoming in 1994 and into western Nebraska in 1999. Through a series of focus groups in the winter of 2012, it was determined that we needed to focus our outreach in Colorado alone and expand our services more robustly in our communities before we can properly focus efforts on neighboring states. Meanwhile, other non-profits have developed in Wyoming and Nebraska to better serve those individuals and the Parkinson Association continues to be a resources to these and other developing Parkinson Associations nationally.