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RESOLUTION NO.
03-270
A RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING THE MONTH
OF NOVEMBER, 2003, AS "EPILEPSY
AWARENESS MONTH" IN ST. LUCIE
COUNTY, FLORIDA
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie
County, Florida, has made the following determinations:
1. Epilepsy, also known as Seizure Disorder, has afflicted
mankind since the dawn of our species and has been recognized since
the earliest medical writings.
2. As long as 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine,
repudiated ancient beliefs that Epilepsy was a visitation from the
gods and sacred or that it was a curse from the gods that people
afflicted with this disorder held prophetic powers.
Hippocrates
believed that Epilepsy was a brain disorder.
3 .
A seizure is a sudden,
brief attack of altered
consciousness, motor activity or sensory phenomena.
It is a sign
that certain brain cells (neurons) are discharging an excessive
amount of electrical impulses.
4. Epilepsy can be caused by injury to the brain, lack of
oxygen at birth, brain tumor, infection and brain hemorrhage. In
sixty percent of the cases, the cause is unknown.
Epilepsy can
affect anyone, at any age and at any time. More than two million
Americans are affl icted with some type of Epilepsy.
Of this
number, 150,000 are Florida residents.
5. With the administration of anticonvulsant drugs, two
thirds
(66.66%)
of those afflicted with Epilepsy are drug
controlled. Lack of education about this disorder has contributed
to age old myths, superstitions and prejudices.
6. The stigma associated with this disorder is sometimes
worse than the disorder itself. People who have Epilepsy make
reliable
and
conscientious
workers
in
job
performance,
productivity, safety, cooperation and attendance.
7. Studies carried out in the United States over the past
thirty years have indicated that of all disabilities, Epilepsy
poses the greatest barrier to employment with unemployment rates
estimated to fall between twenty and twenty-five percent.
8. Epilepsy should not be a barrier to success. In addition
to the normal requirements for success, a person who has Epilepsy
needs a supportive environment and employers who are willing to
give them an opportunity to become productive citizens.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County
Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida:
1. This Board does hereby proclaim the month of November,
2003, as "EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH" in St. Lucie County, Florida.
2. The County Administrator is hereby directed to forward a
copy of this resolution to the Committee for Epilepsy Awareness,
6670 Royal Palm Blvd., Bldg. K. Apt. 302, Margate, Florida 33063-
02189.
PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 28th day of October, 2003.
ATTEST:
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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ST. LUCIE COUNTY. FLORIDA
BY:
COUNTY