Sunday, December 9, 2012

Epilepsy Foundation, Northern California - 2012 Year in Summary

By D. Andrew Neff - President, Board of Directors

Our mission is to support the 140,000 Northern California patients and their families, and 'outreach' best summarizes our past year. Key programs and services have educated and assisted families throughout our territory. We now have 13 support groups available to individuals with epilepsy who are either in search of advice and support from others facing similar challenges, or who are simply family members of someone with epilepsy looking for guidance. All support groups are facilitated by those who have experience with seizure disorders. School trainings have also increased and are conducted as live sessions to inform teachers and school nurses about epilepsy and seizure first aid. We are hoping to incorporate webinars into the school trainings in the near future, allowing us to conduct live trainings over the internet. In addition, SB161 was signed into law last year by Governor Brown which authorizes school districts to provide school employees with medical training to administer emergency medical assistance to pupils with epilepsy suffering from prolonged seizures.  Finally, the Young Adult Leadership Council received its first official funding and will be used with the intent to raise awareness of epilepsy among young adults.

Read more HERE.

No comments: