By: Grace Huff
On World Parkinson’s Day, the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health reaffirms its commitment to advancing care for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) not just in the clinic, but in every hospital room where patients living with PD may find themselves at their most vulnerable.
This year, Fixel Institute members, along with colleagues throughout UF Health, have received national recognition twice for its groundbreaking efforts to improve hospital safety for individuals with PD. These honors, from both the Parkinson’s Foundation and UF Health, celebrate the strides the Fixel Institute has made in improving outcomes and setting new standards for PD care during hospitalization.
2025 UF Health Quality Team Award: Safe Hospitalization Initiative
A multidisciplinary team, led by Irene Malaty, M.D., was awarded the 2025 UF Health Quality Team Award for leading the Safe Hospitalization Initiative, a collaborative effort across the UF Health Shands Hospital aimed at improving hospital care for patients with Parkinson’s disease. The initiative ensures more accurate and on-time medication administration, safer mobility practices, and reduced complications, all based on the unique needs of patients living with PD.
A collaboration across departments including neurology, nursing, pharmacy, rehab, informatics, and quality improvement, this project has transformed how patients living with PD are identified and cared for during hospitalization.
National Recognition from the Parkinson’s Foundation
In December 2024, the Parkinson’s Foundation honored the Fixel Institute with a national award. This award recognized the progress made across four nationally prioritized goals: reducing contraindicated medications, improving on-time medication delivery, promoting early and safe mobilization, and ensuring consistent swallow screening protocols. UF Health Spanish Plaines was also recognized for its significant advancements in patient safety, including thorough reviews of medication orders for every admitted patient living with PD.
The Fixel Institute team has also introduced a scorecard system to track outcomes and measure improvements over time and is actively reviewing training materials based on feedback from frontline nursing staff. These refinements help ensure that best practices are not just implemented but understood and embraced across the care team.
Driving Change Beyond Gainesville
As a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, the Fixel Institute continues to serve as a national leader in PD care innovation. Our team works closely with other hospitals and Parkinson’s Foundation partners to share strategies, align on safety goals, and expand impact. Ongoing collaboration with UF Health sites across Florida, including UF Health Jacksonville and UF Health Spanish Plaines, supports the vision of a system-wide transformation in how hospitals approach Parkinson’s care.
A Commitment That Continues
These recognitions reflect more than past success. They mark a renewed commitment to ongoing progress, and the Fixel Institute is meeting these challenges head-on.
This World Parkinson’s Day, the Fixel Institute celebrates these awards not as endpoints, but as motivation. With every change made and every life touched, the Fixel Institute moves closer to its mission: to care for people living with complex neurological diseases using an interdisciplinary approach.