CHARLESTON, WV – As part of a nationwide effort, Gov. Jim Justice issued a proclamation today, declaring November 26 as End Epilepsy Day and November 2019 as Epilepsy Awareness Month in West Virginia.
A ceremony was held in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol Building today to present the proclamation.
Designed to raise awareness and to engage the public in the battle to improve and save lives through care, advocacy, education, and research and new therapies to address this brain disorder, End Epilepsy Day is sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation.
Approximately 3.4 million people in the United States, including 1,500 in West Virginia, live with epilepsy and seizures. Annual epilepsy-specific health care costs average $19,479 per person and 21 percent of those individuals have reported that they can not afford their prescription medication.
“We must increase public knowledge about epilepsy and seizure first aid and change the way people think about epilepsy and seizures,” the Governor’s proclamation reads.