Our Mission
Our mission is to lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives.
Seizure Safe School Act
One of the most common facts that is shared within the epilepsy community is that 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime. Did you also know that there are 3.4 million Americans currently living with epilepsy and seizures, and 470,000 of those Americans are children? Despite the prevalence, epilepsy is still highly misunderstood by the public and stigmatized. For students living with epilepsy, it is important that schools are well-equipped with the tools necessary to provide a safe and enriching environment.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Indiana is working towards the passing of the Seizure Safe School Act, which would make certain that school personnel, nurses, teachers and volunteers are able to recognize and respond appropriately to a student experiencing a seizure. There are four components to the legislation:
1. Requiring school personnel to complete a seizure recognition and first-aid response training
2. Mandating that the Seizure Action Plan is made part of the student's file and made available to school personnel and volunteers responsible for the student
3. Ensuring that any FDA-approved medication prescribed by the treating physician is administered to the student living with epilepsy
4. Educating and training students about epilepsy and first-aid response
If you would like to learn more, please stay tuned, or reach out to rkeys@efa.org for questions and possible advocacy volunteer opportunities.
If you are interested in setting up a school training at your school, please contact aedwards@efa.org.
Upcoming Events / ProgramS
Make plans to join us for monthly Facebook live events on Facebook Live Events - March 12, 2019
March 12th at 7:30PM
Topic: Legislative Advocacy
All events are at 7:30 PM ET. Dr. Bettyjo Bouchey will be discussing legislative advocacy and how to become involved in advocacy. There is also time to ask other questions at the end of each event. If there is a topic you would like to hear about please send an email with your suggestion to rkeys@efa.org.
Living With Epilepsy Series Event - March 12, 2019:
We are happy to announce that we will be hosting a Living With Epilepsy Series Event in partnership with New Hope of Indiana, March 12, 2019 at 6:00PM, located at 8450 North Payne Road, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46268.
This event is sponsored by our presenting sponsor, Greenwich Biosciences in an effort to help the Epilepsy Foundation of Indiana continue to provide free resources and programs to the community.
Our presenting Pediatric Neurologist/ Neurologist who will be discussing "Epilepsy 101" and "Epilepsy - Beyond the Basics" is Dragos Sabau, MD. He is a wealth of knowledge and will be able to answer any questions you may have pertaining to epilepsy.
The schedule for this event is as follows:
-6:00PM: Epilepsy 101
-7:00PM Break and Chance to Visit Information Table
-7:15PM Epilepsy - Beyond the Basics
We will be present to share our free events and programs, as well as plenty of resources provided by the Epilepsy Foundation.
If you have any questions leading up to this event, please email rkeys@efa.org.
Youth Leadership Council - March 13, 2019
A new pilot program for youth 13 – 20 to engage with others interested in epilepsy support and outreach. Our next meeting is March 13th at 7:30PM through Zoom. Stay tuned for the link to join the meeting*
We are always welcoming new members. Reach out to aedwards@efa.org if you would like to join the Youth Leadership Council and also for questions.
Kids Crew Movie Drive-In Event - April 6, 2019:
We are hosting a movie drive-in event for our Kids Crew members April 6, 2019 at 1:00PM at our local office in Indianapolis. We will have a seasonally appropriate movie playing with coordinating activities. More details will come as we get closer to the event.
If you have any questions or concerns about this event, please email aedwards@efa.org.
Support Group Meetings:
Indianapolis Support Group Meeting - March 9, 2019
Next Meeting: February 9th, 11:30-1pm @ Community North Hospital Medical Office Building, Room 370 (7250 Clearvista Dr., Indy)
Contact: Cameron, indyepilepsy@gmail.com or aedwards@efa.org.
Central Indianapolis Support Group Meeting - February 23, 2019
Next Meeting: February 23rd, 10:30-12:00pm @ Central Library, Room 311 on the 3rd Floor (40 E St Clair St, Indianapolis, IN 46204)
Contact: Cameron, indyepilepsy@gmail.com or aedwards@efa.org.
Evansville Support Group - February 16, 2019
-Next Meetings: February 16th, 2:30 - 4:30pm CT @ EVPL Central - Large Group room (200 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Evansville, Indiana 47713)
Contact: Matt (352) 978-9995 or aedwards@efa.org.
Learn more about these events and programs!
If you would like to sign up for our monthly E-Newsletter, subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/gcVbyv
Reach out to Ryan Keys at rkeys@efa.org or Alyssa Edwards aedwards@efa.org for resources and programs specific to Indiana.
