Group items tagged

Grantee Spotlight Project Access grantees are implementing unique and innovative strategies to address the challenges children and youth with epilepsy face within their health care system, schools, and communities. Learn more as we highlight a new grantee each month. How can I help improve care for children and youth with epilepsy? Explore the resources and best practices from the National Center for Project Access (NCPA) to learn about what others have done to improve systems of care. News & Events Stay informed with current epilepsy and Project Access news, funding opportunities, and upcoming events. Next About Project Access is a national initiative funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration that seeks to increase awareness of epilepsy and improve access to coordinated, comprehensive care for children and youth with epilepsy in medically underserved and rural areas.

Project Access is a national initiative funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration that seeks to increase awareness of epilepsy and improve access to coordinated, comprehensive care for children and youth with epilepsy in medically underserved and rural areas.

Whether you are the parent of a child with epilepsy or the caretaker of a person with epilepsy, you have come to the right place. About 326,000 American children under the age of 15 have epilepsy and 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year. Epilepsy affects people at different ages and in different ways.

Click here to download PDF What:If your child has epilepsy, you know it can affect every aspect of your and your child’s life. This educational series is offered to you or anyone interested as a time to learn about epilepsy, ask questions, and share your experience with others in the same situation. Please join us. When:Nov. 29, 2011Jan. 24, 2012Mar. 27, 2012May 22, 2012All sessions are at 7:00 PM on TuesdaysWhere:St. Vincent HealthcareMansfield Health Education Center1145 North 30th, Located in the Lower Level of theYellowstone Medical Building WestContact:St. Vincent University at 406-237-ED4U (406-237-3348) or svhu@svh-mt.org

Epilepsy Foundation Northwest Camp Discovery August 31–September 3 The Epilepsy Foundation Northwest’s Camp Discovery, located at Camp Fire USA’s Camp Killoqua in Stanwood, Wash. (Snohomish County), is a 4-day, 3-night camp for children and teenagers, ages 7–17, with epilepsy. It’s a great opportunity for kids to experience the fun of camp activities—swimming, fishing, sports, hiking and more—all designed to be accessible and adapted to campers’ individual needs and abilities, all in a safe, medically monitored setting. The camp is free to kids with epilepsy and costs $150 for siblings. Scholarships are available for qualified individuals, based on availability and financial need. Contact Brent Herrmann at 206-547-4551, or register at www.epilepsynw.org.

More than 3 million people in the U.S. have some form of epilepsy. While seizures come in various forms, those with epilepsy cope with similar issues: social stigma, complex treatment options and a feeling of powerlessness. Eight men, women and children discuss what it's like to live with epilepsy.

It is estimated that as many as 1/3 of individuals with autism spectrum disorder also have epilepsy. Epilepsy is a brain disorder marked by recurring seizures, or convulsions. Experts propose that some of the brain abnormalities that are associated with autism may contribute to seizures. These abnormalities can cause changes in brain activity by disrupting neurons in the brain. Neurons are cells that process and transmit information and send signals to the rest of the body. So overloads or disturbances in the activity of these neurons can result in imbalances that cause seizures. 

When: Monday, November 15th 2010 7:00 p.m. Where: Mansfield Health Education Center at St. Vincent Healthcare 2900 12th Ave N, Ste 30W, Billings, MT What: Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.  A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life. Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs.  

As the warm weather arrives, are you ready for summer camp? Children and adults of all ages may want to attend camp or summer programs. When people have seizures or other neurological problems, you will want to look carefully at the types of programs and the setting in relation to the person’s epilepsy. Can the camp manage seizures and safety appropriately?

In 1988, when Anne Fadiman met Lia Lee, then 5, for the first time, she wrote down her impressions in four spare lines that now read like found poetry:.

barefoot mother gently rocking silent child ¶ diaper, sweater, strings around wrist ¶ like a baby, but she’s so big ¶ mother kisses and strokes her ¶ The story of Lia, the severely brain-damaged daughter of Hmong refugees who had resettled in California, became the subject of Ms. Fadiman’s first book, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,” published in 1997. ¶ Its title is the English translation of the condition known as qaug dab peg (pronounced “kow da pay”), the Hmong term for epilepsy, from which Lia had suffered since infancy. ¶ In traditional Hmong belief, qaug dab peg, like many illnesses, is spiritual in origin, caused when the soul becomes separated from the body. A traditional cure might entail visits from a shaman, who would attempt to reunite body and soul.¶ A work of narrative nonfiction, Ms. Fadiman’s book is a cautionary tale about the cultural chasm between Lia’s family, with its generations-old animist beliefs, and her rationalist American doctors.

Visit My Resource Kit and use the following tools to help you develop your seizure plan. Stop back frequently - we’ll be adding more over time.

Click here to download the flyer (PDF) A time for you to learn and ask your questions: What exactly is epilepsy and how it differs from seizures What to do in the event of a seizure and when to call 9-1-1 Understand basic seizure triggers Living life and the management of seizures    Presented by: Pat Berry, ARNP Pediatric Neurology Nurse Practitioner Seattle Children’s When: Tuesday, January 25, 2011, 7pm (Mountain Time) Where: Mansfield Health Education Center 1145 North 30th Located in the Lower Level of the Yellowstone Medical Building WestEach session will include an interactive opportunity for questions and answers with open table discussion. To reserve your spot or find the videoconferencing location in your area contact: St. Vincent University at 406-237-ED4U (406-237-3348) or email svhu@svh-mt.org

This video was designed for parents of children who have been newly diagnosed with epilepsy. This video provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions that parents have or are maybe afraid to ask. Our parents give honest, detailed answers about their daily lives, children and the changes that epilepsy has brought into their lives.

If you have a child with epilepsy,this website is for you. Whether your child was just diagnosed, or you have specific concerns about medications, getting support at school, or another issue, our goal is to provide the information you need.

A time for you to learn and ask your questions: What we hope medications will do How medications are selected, side effects Importance of taking medication regularly Recognition and avoidance of triggers Presented by:Pat Berry, ARNPPediatric Neurology Nurse PractitionerSeattle Children’s Where: Mansfield Health Education Center 1145 North 30th Located in the Lower Level of the Yellowstone Medical Building West When: Tuesday, March 22, 2011, 7pm (Mountain Time) Each session will include an interactive opportunity as well as an opportunity for questions and answers with open table discussions. To reserve your spot or find the videoconferencing location in your area contact: St. Vincent University at 406-237-ED4U (406-237-3348) or email svhu@svh-mt.org