Coordination of Care in Neuropsychology

Dr. Gregory A. Thwaites is a highly experienced neuropsychologist who has been working in private practice since 1996. Dr. Gregory A. Thwaites’s experience includes performing comprehensive brain evaluations and screenings as well as treating and providing support to those with memory disorders, neuropsychological conditions, and brain injuries.

Since brain conditions affect many different bodily processes, care providers must often work frequently with other health and wellness professionals in their treatment. These include speech, occupational, and physical therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, and primary care physicians. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of neuropsychology, proper coordination of care is particularly important. Cooperation with other professionals helps ensure the highest quality of patient care.

A good neuropsychologist ensures that patients receive comprehensive evaluations. This means performing screenings for disorders that affect cognitive functions. The conditions often identified in evaluations include memory disorders, traumatic brain injuries, epilepsy, brain tumors, and multiple sclerosis, among others. Evaluation and screening results can then be used to diagnose and develop treatment and management plans.

Dr. Gregory Thwaites: Spotlight on the Pikes Peak Challenge

A longtime member and supporter of the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado, neuropsychologist Dr. Gregory Thwaites looks forward each year to the organization’s signature fundraising event, the Pikes Peak Challenge. Taking place in September, this annual challenge brings together brain injury survivors and their families, professional supporters, and community participants in a hike of 13 miles and 7,400 vertical feet to the summit of magnificent Pikes Peak in Manitou, Colorado.

In 2013, the Pikes Peak Challenge celebrates its 28th anniversary. To help make the event even more accessible, this year’s challenge will feature a family-friendly walk in addition to the classic summit hike. Covering three miles, the Manitou Walk will help ensure that individuals of all ages and ability levels can participate in this unique event.

Participants in both the walk and the hike support the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado by paying an event registration fee and by committing to raise a minimum amount in pre-collected donations. Funds raised by the Pikes Peak Challenge go toward supporting the alliance’s many programs and services, including recreation programs for brain-injured youth and adults, educational outreach, and an annual conference.

Dr. Gregory Thwaites: The Colorado Neuropsychological Society

Colorado-based neuropsychologist Dr. Gregory Thwaites is a firm believer in giving back to the community and has held leadership positions in several professional non-profit organizations in his field. Dr. Thwaites served as the President of the Colorado Neuropsychological Society (CNS) in 2001.

The CNS aims to encourage and maintain the highest standards of care given by neuropsychological professionals to clients and patients. In accordance with this aim, it organizes meetings, workshops, and research and committee projects for its members in order to foster the growth of neurospychology as a science and as a profession. In addition, it also hosts an annual daylong research conference each spring, at which a nationally-renowned speaker is invited to present his or her work. Another central focus of the CNS, in keeping with the inherently interdisciplinary nature of neuropsychology, is the promotion of inter-professional cooperation and collaboration with other similarly-oriented professional groups. Organizations like the CNS seek to improve the quality and scope of the discipline of neuropsychology as a tool to better understand patient needs.

Dr. Gregory Thwaites: Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado Conferences Bring Survivors Together

As the only statewide non-profit dedicated to brain injury, the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado is dedicated to providing survivors of brain injury with resources to help them on their rehabilitation journeys. With annual conferences, community outreach, and recreation programs, the Alliance helps brain injury survivors form supportive communities. Events in 2013 include regional conferences, Adventure Camps and Recreation Programs, and the 18th annual Reinhardt/Bruno Golf Tournament. The golf tournament raises money for campers, and has raised over $250,000 since the first tournament. Another popular event is the Pikes Peak Challenge, where survivors and members climb a 14,000-foot mountain in Manitou Springs, Colorado. This event also funds programs and services that allow Alliance members to come together in activities where they can support each other. Gregory Thwaites, Ph.D. has been a private practice neuropsychologist since 1996. He consults at North Colorado Medical Center and specializes in sports-related injuries and memory disorders. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of Colorado.

Dr. Gregory Thwaites on the Acclaimed North Colorado Medical Center Neuropsychologist

Dr. Gregory Thwaites treats patients with sports concussions, traumatic brain injuries, epilepsy, and related conditions from his practice in Greeley, Colorado. Additionally, Dr. Thwaites sits on the Bioethics Committee at North Colorado Medical Center. Also located in Greeley, North Colorado Medical Center continues the tradition of state-of-the-art technology and compassionate care established by the county’s first hospitals at the start of the 20th century. The current facility contains nearly 400 inpatient beds, handles more than 53,000 emergency room visits annually, and oversees thousands of employees and hundreds of volunteers. Moreover, its services include heart care, cancer care, trauma and emergency care, and women’s services. Over the past several years, North Colorado Medical Center has garnered numerous accolades. Ranked as the fifth best hospital in the state by US News and World Report, it earned Healthgrade’s® Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence and Emergency Medicine Excellence Award in 2011 and 2012. A Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, the hospital also obtained recognition from the American Heart Association for its Heart Failure and Coronary Arterial Disease Program and earned a Comprehensive Community Cancer Program designation from the American College of Surgeons

Dr. Gregory Thwaites: An Overview of Banner Health

From his office in Greeley, Colorado, Gregory Thwaites, PhD, treats patients as a neuropsychologist trained in Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other disorders. The recipient of a doctoral degree in psychology from Colorado State University, Dr. Thwaites has held involvement with Banner Health as a consultant.

A premier non-profit healthcare organization, Banner Health strives to become a leader in all of its communities. Founded in 1999 from the merger of Samaritan Health System and Lutheran Health Systems, this medical network possesses a presence in seven states. Its medical centers include Fairbanks Memorial in Alaska, Banner Desert in Arizona, and Sterling Regional in Colorado. Moreover, it runs research institutes, home care programs, and hospices. Medical students benefit from its 55-bed simulation medical center in Mesa, Arizona, the largest such entity in the world. One of America’s biggest and most renowned hospital networks, Banner Health Systems employs more than 36,000 people. Furthermore, as a not-for-profit entity, it distributes a greater percentage of its proceeds toward new hospital beds, equipment, and physician services. Additionally, it dedicates over $350 million annually to community service initiatives, such as indigent care and financial assistance programs.

Gregory Thwaites, PhD: Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado

Having earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Colorado State University, Dr. Gregory Thwaites focuses on neuropsychology at his practice in Greeley, Colorado. Earlier in his career, Dr. Thwaites served on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado.

Headquartered in Denver, the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado functions as the state’s only organization dedicated to aiding persons with brain injuries. Seeking to improve the quality of life for these individuals, this group promotes research and awareness. Additionally, it forms communities of survivors and those currently undergoing rehabilitation.

The programs established by the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado aid people of all ages. For example, adults with brain injuries can sign up for recreational programs at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center. Also, Colorado Youth Brain Injury Connections—a division of the Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund—provides care and education to children with these disorders. And medical practitioners can join the Brain Injury Professional Networks, to interact with local colleagues. Those who want to contribute to the Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado can participate in the fundraising adventure, Pikes Peak Challenge, and support the organization by hiking to the summit of Pikes Peak. To learn more, log onto www.biacolorado.org.