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Information and Referral Center

The Information and Referral Center is located at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, WA. Lynn Chapman, our Information and Referral Coordinator, provides a variety of services to help in supporting people with Parkinson Disease (PD) and their caregivers. Lynn can be reached at 206-277-5516 or at apda@uw.edu. (Additional contact information is shown below.)

[Lynn Chapman]
Lynn Chapman,
I & R Coordinator

These services include:

  • Distributing our DVD and other literature on PD on such topics as nutrition, exercise, medications and much more.
  • Conducting literature reviews – occasionally there are topics that might not be covered by our literature and so the Center can do a literature search to find the information you need.
  • Maintaining, establishing, and facilitating support groups across our state to help ease the burden and provide education for patients and caregivers.
  • Finding speakers for support groups and other organizations that seek to learn more about PD. Lynn currently facilitates discussions on "Overcoming Obstacles" at support group meetings and is in the process of developing other programs of interest to support groups. A list of support groups in Washington State and Idaho can be found on our website.
  • Maintaining a lending library of books and other information on Parkinson Disease.
  • Providing referrals to physicians, allied health professionals, and other resources.
  • Providing support to those who call about their own PD or that of a friend or loved one.
  • Producing a bi-monthly newsletter, the "Parkinson Pathfinder" with information on educational events in Washington and Idaho, topics of interest to people with PD and their caregivers, and a list of support groups across the state.
  • Maintaining a list of websites with a wealth of information to help people with PD and their caregivers.

Bio

Lynn Chapman, M.S. , our new Information and Referral Coordinator, comes to us with over 20 years of experience as a health educator. Most recently she worked at Swedish Medical Center where she put on conferences for health care providers including neurologists and neurosurgeons. She also worked as the Program Director for the American Diabetes Association, as a the manager of multiple clinics at Providence Regional Medical Center, for Public Health-Seattle & King County on a pediatric asthma program and co-founded the King County Physical Activity Coalition. She worked for many years at the University of Washington training health care providers about HIV/AIDS.

As a volunteer, she trained at Group Health Cooperative to run groups for people to help them manage their chronic conditions. As a result, she wants to understand what is most helpful to people with PD so she can provide information on how they can more easily manage their condition. She is looking forward to learning as much as possible about Parkinson Disease and the resources around Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Hawaii. "I believe that throughout life you meet the people you are supposed to meet and learn from them." She looks forward to learning from you. She is excited about creating new programs and spending time talking to patients and linking them up to resources.

Contact Information

Lynn Chapman, M.S.
Coordinator, APDA Information and Referral Center
University of Washington
VA Puget Sound Healthcare System
Box 358280, S-116-6E
1660 Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108

Email: lchapman@uw.edu
Phone: (206) 277-5516
FAX: (206) 277-4856