General News
14 April, 2025
Wimmera gets pilot program for Parkinson's Disease
People with Parkinson's Disease living in the Wimmera will be the first to benefit from funding to carry out a pilot program on the condition.
Fight Parkinsons donated $815,000 in community-sourced research funding towards the pilot of ParkinsonNet in Australia, a world-class multidisciplinary care model for people with Parkinson's.
The two pilot programs to be funded will be established in the Wimmera in Western Victoria and Tasmania.
On Sunday, April 6, more than a hundred people who gathered in Horsham for a 'Walk in the Park' to show their support for people diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease were overjoyed to hear of the funding.
Emma Collin, Fight Parkinson's chief executive, attended the event and announced the funding for this often misunderstood but fastest-growing neurological condition in Australia.
The Wimmera has the highest incidence of Parkinson's in Victoria per capita, so the pilot program was welcomed by Ms Collin and the people attending, those with Parkinson's and those supporting them.
The program ParkinsonNet is a globally recognised, evidence-based model that has already transformed healthcare in Europe and the United States, improving access to high-quality care, reducing hospitalisation, lowering disability rates, and cutting healthcare costs.
"Now, it's Australia's turn to reap these benefits," she said.
"The funding will provide support closer to home for the Wimmera community."
It is a three-stage research program and will focus on the science of Parkinson's and the basics of how to slow or stop the progression of the condition, the research into women with Parkinson's, and the value of exercise and models of care.
Led by Professor Michele Callisaya from the University of Tasmania, the project has just received a $2.88 million MRFF grant, which, along with Fight Parkinson's contribution and community commitment, will help make it happen.
“Our community’s research funding contribution demonstrates a significant commitment to advancing access to multidisciplinary care,” said Ms Collin.
“The strong leadership, community support, and research excellence involved in this project enables us to make a difference and fight Parkinson’s together," she said.
Organisers were pleased to see more than double the number that attended last year, as families gathered on the banks of the Wimmera River to enjoy a barbeque after the walk.
