BEVERLY HILLS—The City of Beverly Hills’ Health and Safety Commission announced its first winner of its awards program by acknowledging longtime BH resident Linda Berghoff. During the February 23 meeting, the Commission gave its first award to Ms. Berghoff for starting the local “Dance With Parkinson’s” Program.

According to a press release from Therese Kosterman, Public Information Manager for the City of Beverly Hills, Linda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s nine years ago, which is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system.

A few years later she discovered a unique program, Dance for Parkinson’s, started by the Mark Morris Dance Group and went to New York to learn the techniques. The program which is recognized nationally helps to soften some of the debilitating symptoms from the disease, which includes depression, isolation, loss of balance, coordination and flexibility.

“I can’t think of a better way to introduce this awards program,” said Commission Chair Myra Lurie. “With compassion and skill, Linda has tapped into her own experience with Parkinson’s to improve the quality of life for hundreds of people suffering from the disease.”

Linda later created a partnership with the Beverly Hills-based Invertigo Dance Theatre to offer the program free of charge to Parkinson’s patients in the Los Angeles area. Hundreds of patients have joined the program seeing an improvement in their conditions. Ms. Berghoff teaches Parkinson’s movement classes two times a week, helps with choreography and sits on the board of directors of Invertigo Dance Theatre.

The BH Community Health and Safety Recognition Program is a monthly awards program that recognizes an individual, resident, business or group who has made strides to improve the health, safety and/or disaster preparedness of the community.

For more information an online nomination form can be found at www.beverlyhills.org/hsawards.