United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati’s Aaron W. Perlman Center will become a department of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center on December 21. United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati has served children since its founding in 1949. The Perlman team will continue to provide the same high quality therapies and services at the Perlman Center within CCHMC.

The change is being made to expand services for children and families at Cincinnati Children’s and throughout the region. Services for teens and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities will remain a part of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati.

“This is an evolution of our almost 60-year relationship with Cincinnati Children’s and is a continuation of our efforts to do what is best for children,” says Susan S. Schiller, executive director, United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati. “In addition, we will focus our energies on our teens and adults, ensuring continuity of services over the lifespan and enhanced benefits to all of our clients and families.”

The Perlman Center offers one-of-a-kind multi-disciplinary therapy-based programs for children with physical disabilities and their families, including early therapeutic interventions and a regionally recognized assistive technology program and resource lab for children and adults. The Perlman Center is also a resource to schools in the region providing technical assistance to teachers and therapists to maximize the participation of students with physical disabilities in the classroom.

Children served by the Perlman Center have a variety of medical needs in addition to cerebral palsy. In fact, nearly 50 percent of those served by UCP of Greater Cincinnati have disabilities other than cerebral palsy. Conditions treated at the Perlman Center include spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, autism, head injuries, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), stroke, brain tumors, and other physical disabilities.

“The integration of the Perlman Center will allow the combination of the strengths of UCP, which has provided outstanding care for children with cerebral palsy for decades, with Cincinnati Children’s to establish an even more comprehensive, multidisciplinary and integrated program of evaluation and care for these children at a single site,” says Arnold Strauss, M.D., chief medical officer at Cincinnati Children’s and chair of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati. “We hope that this comprehensive evaluation and care program will be more efficient and coordinated than previously and will improve outcomes.”

The Perlman Center has been located at Cincinnati Children’s since 1973 when United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati became an affiliate of the hospital. The program was named for Dr. Aaron W. Perlman, M.D., former chief of orthopaedics at Cincinnati Children’s, in 1994.

Linda Wnek will continue as the Director of the Perlman at Cincinnati Children’s. The 27 employees of the Perlman Center will become staff at Cincinnati Children’s. All are experts in the fields of occupational, physical, speech therapy, social work and teaching, with advanced experience working exclusively with children with physical disabilities and training in assistive technology applications.

Cincinnati Children’s will continue to be affiliated with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati through the Perlman Center. Collaboration between the Perlman Center and UCP will support the continuity of care of individuals with physical disabilities from birth through adulthood.

Last year, over 200 children and their families, as well as more than 80 adults were served by the Perlman Center.

The Perlman Center is already located on the main, Burnet Avenue campus of Cincinnati Children’s, so no physical relocation will be necessary. The phone number will remain the same (513-636-4601).