Continuing the Fight for Improved Care and Support

“And now, you’ve expanded that work to link arms with leaders in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to drive progress for all of these neuro-degenerative diseases. And you’re also pushing for better access to care and more support for caregivers.”
- First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on the co-founders of I AM ALS and Synapticure.

This week Synapticure’s co-founders, Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya, were invited to the White House for a screening of their documentary, No Ordinary Campaign, and to share their story of resilience. The film follows Brian and Sandra as they have taken a life-changing diagnosis of ALS, and utilized their experience in policy and community-building from their days in the Obama Campaign and the White House to build a patient-centered movement for healthcare reform, becoming leaders in advocating for patients and caregivers across the spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. 

The first family has continued work they started when President Biden was VP during the Obama Administration, prioritizing “moonshot” efforts to dramatically accelerate research and improve care for diseases like cancers and neurodegenerative conditions such as ALS and Alzheimer’s, aimed at ending these diseases as we know them. This Administration has also developed new initiatives to support caregivers, including the forthcoming Medicare Dementia Care Model, GUIDE. 

 Synapticure is shaped by Brian and Sandra’s journey. In speaking with leading physicians, policymakers, and patients across the country, they recognized that so many individuals and families living with neurodegenerative conditions were overwhelmed by the complicated landscape of the healthcare system and deserved better. Across ALS, Alzheimer’s and related dementia, Parkinson’s and other diagnoses, patients lacked access to specialists, faced long wait times, limited treatment options, and the crushing financial, social, and emotional stress of diseases that so cruelly rob patients and families of their independence and identity. 

Synapticure exists to provide accessible, compassionate care to patients, their caregivers, and loved ones. As a virtual clinic, we can see patients in as little as a week in contrast to the typical several months-long wait to see a specialist. Our expert neurologists build personal relationships with our patients and caregivers, educating them about their disease and advocating for treatment options. Every patient receives the support of our multidisciplinary team, facilitated by a dedicated Care Navigator who is available 24/7 to help with education, skills training and support, understanding and optimizing available insurance benefits, accessing mental health support, enrolling in clinical trials, obtaining genetic testing and counseling, scheduling in-home PT/OT, and more. We provide the services of a center of excellence at the convenience and urgency that patients need, in every community, and all 50 states.

Our team of expert neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, social workers, registered nurses, and many others has decades of experience in neurodegenerative conditions. Nearly all have cared for someone in their family living with a neurodegenerative disease. We understand what you’re going through, and are here to help you and your loved ones navigate your diagnosis.

Synapticure works with patients’ local PCPs and neurologists to ensure they receive prompt access, coverage, and support without disrupting these important relationships. 66% of patients living with Dementia don’t make it to a specialist within five years, even higher with other neurodegenerative conditions like ALS and PD; this causes delays in diagnosis and the initiation of potentially disease-modifying or symptom-delaying treatments. Most PCP practices do not have the resources or business model to provide intensive support for caregivers–who in many cases are carrying the majority of the burden to plan and coordinate care–leading to missed appointments, unnecessary visits to the ER, and caregiver burnout resulting premature transition of patients to assisted living or long-term nursing facilities. 

At its core, Synapticure is a patient-centered organization built from the ground up by innovative leaders in the community, a patient and caregiver, who took their expertise in policy and healthcare reform to change the care system for neurodegenerative diseases. As such, we are committed to being an innovator in democratizing access to exceptional care while putting patients first.