Epilepsy Foundation Alerts Congress to Women's Health Risks; Calls for Federal Support for Outreach

5/20/2002

From: Peter VanHaverbeke, 800-465-1655, option 1, ext. 3772 or Sylvia Blair, 800-465-1655, option 1, ext. 3773, both of the Epilepsy Foundation

News Advisory:

The Epilepsy Foundation will alert Congress to the unique health risks facing many women with epilepsy in a briefing today at 12:30 p.m. in B-338 Rayburn. The briefing, titled "Women and Epilepsy: Ensuring Adequate Healthcare" is sponsored by Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and the Epilepsy Foundation.

Although all women with epilepsy may face similar concerns, women in rural areas especially need current information because they often lack access to the latest in healthcare practices. At the briefing, the Foundation will call for federal support of health care outreach to underserved populations in rural communities. Outreach to African-American and Latino women with epilepsy will also be addressed.

Martha Morrell, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital, will describe recently identified medical issues that women with epilepsy face.

Sharon McMinn, past winner of the Epilepsy Foundation's "Making a Difference Award," will discuss the personal impact of the disorder. She will share her inspirational story of how she came to start a family and was later given outdated advice by a doctor who told her she should have been sterilized because of her epilepsy. McMinn is also a vocal advocate and a successful businesswoman in Sherwood, Ark.

More than one million women and girls in the United States are living with epilepsy (also known as seizure disorders). They face many special challenges, from changes during the monthly cycle, which may trigger seizures, to concerns regarding pregnancy. Social factors also leave them vulnerable to discrimination and abuse. Yet their plight and the manner in which they are affected have been largely ignored.

The Epilepsy Foundation, based in metropolitan, Washington, D.C., is the leading source of consumer information about seizures, as well as direct services in the community for families affected by seizure disorders. The organization's goals are to prevent, control, and cure epilepsy through research, education, advocacy and services.