New resource center in Sarasota will offer information on neurological disorders
By DAVID GULLIVER



david.gulliver@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA -- A successful surgery for Parkinson's disease led to a $200,000 donation to create an information center on neuroscience for Sarasota.

The Hansen Neuroscience Resource Center will open Saturday at the Sarasota Memorial Institute for Advanced Medicine.

Poul Hansen, a part-time Casey Key resident, was treated by Sarasota Memorial Hospital''s Dr. James Schumacher using a technique called deep-brain stimulation, which uses a pacemaker-type device to stop the disease's tremors.

Hansen and his family made the gift to the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation in appreciation and to support the community, foundation spokeswoman Kaye Chase said.

The center will be an extension of Sarasota Memorial's Bishopric Medical Library, which is open to the public.

The center will have a print library and three computer stations that can tap medical journals and other sources on disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy.

A volunteer staff also can provide information on support groups for the diseases.

"There isn't anything like this that I know of, a place where people can come and research everything, and relax and talk to each other and learn about these conditions," Schumacher said.

The Hansens' donation also will fund ongoing research and educational events, such as the hospital's annual International Parkinson Symposium.

Hansen and his family will officially open the center after this year's symposium, which features Dr. Tipu Aziz, professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University in London, and Dr. Dean Sutherland, a Florida State University assistant professor and director of the Southeastern Center for Parkinson's Disease.

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