HomeMy Public PortalAbout1996-38 Recognizing National Epilepsy Awareness Month, November 1996RESOLUTION NO. 96-38
A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE OF KEY
BISCAYNE, FLORIDA; RECOGNIZING
NATIONAL EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH,
NOVEMBER 1996; PROVIDING FOR AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, Epilepsy, also known as Seizure Disorder, has afflicted mankind since the dawn
of our species and has been recognized since the earliest medical writings, and
WHEREAS, as long ago 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 afflicted with this disorder held prophetic powers. Hippocrates believed that Epilepsy was
a brain disorder, and
WHEREAS, 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, and
WHEREAS, Epilepsy can be caused by injury to the brain, lack of oxygen at birth, brain
tumor, infection and grain hemorrhage. In sixty percent of the cases, the cause is unknown, and
WHEREAS, Epilepsy can affect anyone, at any age and at any time, and
WHEREAS, more than two million Americans are afflicted with some type of Epilepsy. Of
this number, 150,000 are Florida residents, and
WHEREAS, with the administration of anticonvulsant drugs, two-thirds (66.66%) of those
afflicted with Epilepsy are drug controlled, and -
WHEREAS, lack of education about this disorder has contributed to age old myths,
superstitions and prejudices, and
WHEREAS, the stigma associated with this disorder is sometimes worse than the disorder
itself, and
WHEREAS, people who have Epilepsy make reliable and conscientious worker in job
performance, productivity, safety, cooperation and attendance, and
WHEREAS, 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.
WHEREAS, 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 VILLAGE COUNCIL OF KEY
BISCAYNE, FLORIDA THAT NOVEMBER 1996 IS THE
NATIONAL EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH
IN THE VILLAGE OF KEY BISCAYNE, AND ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS TO TAKE
PART IN THIS CELEBRATION.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 19th Day of November , 1996.
3 32-, t_____
YOR JOHN F. FESTA
ATT
ITA H. ALVAREZ, VILLAGE CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY:
RICHARD J. WEISS, VILLAGE ATTORNEY