For UNC pediatrician Dr. Kate Westmoreland, one of the hardest years of her life came after the birth of her daughter Izabel, who was born with Down syndrome.
“Navigating the medical system was really hard,” she said in a press conference. “Being a new mom, trying to learn everything about Down syndrome at the same time and trying to make sure to do the best things for her was overwhelming. I was feeling lost — I was in the medical system and feeling lost.”
On March 17, Westmoreland cut the ribbon at the inauguration for the new UNC Down Syndrome Clinic, surrounded by colleagues, friends and family. The event came after years of collaboration with UNC Health, North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance leadership and an interdisciplinary team.
The clinic will oversee multiple aspects of care pertaining to patients with Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes developmental delays. It will offer services from registered dietitians, physical, occupational and speech therapists, along with vision screening and other subspecialties such as pulmonary and sleep medicine.
Among the team is Shannon Culbertson, a pediatric audiologist who performs diagnostic tests and clinical interventions. At the clinic, she said she will be working as a clinician during evaluations.
“I think the Down syndrome population is a really special community — it's really fun to work with parents to navigate how to best access communication, whether that’s spoken language, sign language [or] alternative communication uses,” she said.
The clinic, which will provide comprehensive evaluations and recommendations, will be one of the first of its kind in the Southeast. Previously, Duke Health had established a clinic that was limited to treatment of children with Down syndrome. UNC’s new clinic will be the only one in North Carolina to see patients of all ages.
Vicki Wrigley, a board member of the NCDSA, said she was excited about the new clinic as a one-stop shop for the needs of Down syndrome patients like her 3-year-old son, Jamie, who was also diagnosed with cancer.
Wrigley, who is from rural North Carolina, said Jamie’s initial care was not as well managed as it could have been, and she lacked a lot of knowledge and answers. She said things became smoother after the NCDSA referred her to other specialists, including those at UNC.
