Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

RLS Foundation Certifies University of Virginia as a Quality Care Center

As an RLS Quality Care Center, the University of Virginia is certified to provide expert care to patients with restless legs syndrome, a chronic neurological sleep disorder.

AUSTIN, TEXAS, January 8, 2025 — The Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Foundation announces it has certified the University of Virginia at Charlottesville (UVA) as an RLS Quality Care Center.

An estimated 2% to 3% of adults need daily clinical treatment for RLS, a chronic neurological disease that disrupts sleep and can have a devastating impact on overall quality of life. As an RLS Quality Care Center, UVA will serve as a destination for RLS patients who need expert medical care.

“We are extremely honored to receive this prestigious designation,” says Elias Karroum, MD, PhD, director of the Quality Care Center at UVA. “Our goal is to provide exceptional care for RLS patients to make a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of the patients that we serve. This status ensures adherence to the highest standards of care to manage all levels of RLS severity.”

UVA joins a network of 12 other institutions in the US and Europe that are certified by the RLS Foundation as Quality Care Centers. Through this program, the Foundation aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease worldwide.

RLS Quality Care Centers:

• Provide expert care to RLS patients
• Serve as information and referral resources for regional support groups and for healthcare providers who treat patients with RLS
• Support patients and families through educational offerings and literature.
• Share information with other centers to improve clinical best practices
• Partner with the RLS Foundation on quality improvement projects to raise the standard of care for RLS patients everywhere

“We are pleased to welcome UVA to the RLS Foundation Quality Care Center network,” says RLS Foundation Executive Director Karla Dzienkowski. “People with moderate to severe RLS face significant challenges in symptom management. Access to highly skilled and experienced healthcare providers is essential to effective treatment and improvement in quality of life.”

Dzienkowski adds, “The goal of the Quality Care Center network is to provide RLS patients access to healthcare providers with expertise in RLS management. We look forward to partnership with UVA to advance the quality of care for RLS patients.”

Other certified RLS Quality Care Centers include:

• Johns Hopkins Center for Restless Legs Syndrome
• Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine
• Houston Methodist Neurological Institute
• Stanford Sleep Medicine Center
• Emory Sleep Center
• Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center
• Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland
• Innsbruck Medical University
• Massachusetts General
• University of Pittsburgh

To learn more about the RLS Quality Care Center Program, visit www.rls.org/quality-care-centers.

About the RLS Foundation

The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of all who live with restless legs syndrome, or RLS. Founded in 1992, the Foundation’s goals are to increase awareness, improve treatments, and, through research, find a cure. The Foundation serves healthcare providers, researchers, over 6,000 members, and an estimated 12 million individuals in the United States who have the disease. The Foundation’s Research Grant Program has awarded over $2 million in funding for medical research on RLS causes and treatments. For more information, visit www.rls.org.

CONTACT:

Karla Dzienkowski, RN, BSN, Executive Director

512-366-9109

karla@rls.org