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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Epilepsy Awareness Month is a nationwide effort
3 to raise awareness about epilepsies, seizures, and side
4 effects and to improve the lives of people affected by
5 epilepsy through education, advocacy, research, and
6 connection; and
7 WHEREAS, Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by
8 recurrent and unprovoked seizures that can affect anyone, at
9 any age, at any time; and
10 WHEREAS, Epilepsy is a spectrum disease comprised of many
11 diagnoses and experiences and includes a wide range of seizure
12 types, comorbidities, control, severity, and outcomes varying
13 from person to person; and
14 WHEREAS, Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological
15 disorder; nearly 3.4 million people in the U.S., including
16 136,600 in Illinois, live with active epilepsy; and
17 WHEREAS, Approximately half of adults with active epilepsy
18 have annual family incomes of less than $25,000, and adults
19 with epilepsy are more likely to report being unable to afford
20 needed prescription medications; children and adolescents with
21 seizures are more likely to live in poverty and have food
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1 insecurity; racial and ethnic minorities represent more than
2 40% of people living with epilepsy and face various
3 disparities in obtaining appropriate diagnosis, care, and
4 epilepsy mortality; and
5 WHEREAS, An increasing number of people are diagnosed with
6 rare epilepsies, which are largely complex, severe, chronic,
7 and even life-threatening, and collectively rare epilepsies
8 account for a growing percentage of the epilepsy population;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, People with epilepsy need access to affordable,
11 comprehensive, physician-directed, person-centered health
12 care, and delays in accessing effective treatments increase
13 the likelihood of breakthrough seizures and related
14 complications, including injury, disability, or even Sudden
15 Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP); each year, it is
16 estimated that 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP,
17 and this number increases drastically to 1 out of 150 for
18 people whose epilepsy is not controlled by treatment; and
19 WHEREAS, Many treatments are approved to treat seizures;
20 yet, 30 - 40% of people with epilepsy still live with
21 uncontrolled seizures, and the epilepsy-related medical costs
22 associated with uncontrolled epilepsy are two to ten times
23 higher than those of controlled epilepsy; and
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1 WHEREAS, Twenty-one percent of people with epilepsy have
2 reported not being able to afford their prescription
3 medication(s) in the last year; and
4 WHEREAS, Non-medical drivers of health, such as social,
5 economic, and environmental conditions including housing,
6 employment, food security, transportation, and education,
7 account for 80-90% of a person's health outcomes; and
8 WHEREAS, Epilepsy and/or seizures impose an annual
9 economic healthcare burden of $54 billion; and
10 WHEREAS, In the U.S., 456,000 children live with epilepsy;
11 students with epilepsy aged 6 - 17 years old have missed 11 or
12 more days of school the past year on average, and 336,000
13 children have at least one seizure annually; and
14 WHEREAS, Protections exist in the Americans with
15 Disabilities Act and related civil rights laws, but people
16 with epilepsy still encounter discrimination in many areas,
17 including employment, education, and housing; and
18 WHEREAS, Twenty-five percent of the general public say
19 they would be nervous around a person with epilepsy;
20 increasing public knowledge about epilepsies and seizure first
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1 aid can change the way people think about epilepsies and
2 seizures, decrease stigma, and improve outcomes; therefore, be
3 it
4 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
5 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare November
6 2024 as Epilepsy Awareness Month in the State of Illinois to
7 encourage Illinois residents to take action together so no one
8 faces epilepsy alone; and be it further
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