Interested in sharing your thoughts and needs regarding epilepsy legislation?

Please take the survey and let us know what is the most important to you!
 

When: October 11, 2025. Race begins at 9am
Where: 225 Al Smith Circle, Berryville, VA 22611

$25 registration fee and prizes for the 5k participants!

Other activities on race day include a 1-mile kids race, raffles, a pie eating contest, live music, and seizure education. 

 

Thank you to our sponsors for your support of Virginia's epilepsy heroes!
 

Interested in sponsoring the Tour de Midnight? See here for our sponsorship prospectus!
 

At the August support group meeting, the Executive Director explained the principles of mindfulness. Coming from Buddhist traditions (insight meditation), mindfulness started to become popular with Westerners in the 1970s. It gained momentum in the 80 and 90s, largely due to the secular, science-based approach of Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which started in 1979. 

Scientific research throughout the 1980s and 1990s began to validate the benefits of mindfulness for stress, anxiety, and pain management, establishing credibility in medical and psychological communities. 

No one faces epilepsy alone and now, you can help shape the future of how we understand it. EmpowER&DTM, a new initiative from the Epilepsy Foundation of America, is launching its beta phase, and we’re inviting you to be part of it. By joining, you’ll connect your story with thousands of others and provide feedback that helps build a powerful community record researchers can use to find answers faster.

The more people who participate, the stronger the data becomes—and the closer we get to breakthroughs that matter.

Around 40 doctors, clinicians, and representatives gathered together in Norfolk to share knowledge, discuss research advances, and talk through patient solutions. After an opportunity to meet and network, the gathered members heard new EFVA updates from EFVA's Executive Director Suzanne Bischoff, followed by a talk from Dr. Daniel Graf on clinical research updates and non-pharmacological epilepsy management for individuals with intractable seizures.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Gregory Krauss, spoke about how to optimize anti-seizure medication treatment for individual patients. The evening was finished off with a roundtable style discussion about patients who are not helped by standard therapies, with much debate about potential options and treatments for these individuals.

 

"Frequent seizure and epilepsy-related emergency department visits in the United States: A retrospective cohort study"

Brad K. Kamitaki, Jennifer E. Geller, Jennifer H. Dai, Uma Sarwadnya, Leila Alidoost, Harrison Clement, Kylie Getz, Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, Haiqun Lin, Joel C. Cantor, Hyunmi Choi 

First published: 05 July 2025
https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18525

Health disparities impact access to epilepsy care in the United States, but how these factors contribute to recurrent emergency department (ED) visits is unclear. We hypothesized that people who (1) were uninsured or had public health insurance, (2) belonged to minoritized racial/ethnic groups, or (3) resided in low-income zip codes were more likely to have frequent ED visits for seizure or epilepsy.

This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients presenting to the ED in four U.S. states (Florida, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin) with a primary diagnosis of seizure or epilepsy. We tracked ED visits for each patient longitudinally between 2016 and 2018. We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis evaluating the association of the above factors with a high (>2) vs low (1–2) number of ED visits.

We identified 200 962 patients who visited the ED for seizure/epilepsy, of whom 28 598 (14.7%) presented 2 times during the study period. Compared to private insurance, individuals with Medicare (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.82–1.99), Medicaid (aOR 2.01, 95% CI: 1.93–2.09), or no insurance (aOR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.48–1.62) had increased odds of high ED visits. Black patients had a 60% higher odds of frequent ED visits compared with White patients (aOR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.55–1.65). However, these disparities were attenuated for Black patients with Medicare and Medicaid, vs private insurance. High ED use was not seen in other racial/ethnic groups. Finally, patients living in low-income zip codes (0–25th percentile of median household income; aOR 1.65, 95% CI: 1.58–1.73) were more likely to be in the high ED visit group, compared with the highest income quartile.

Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic inequities likely contribute to frequent ED visits for seizures, as evidenced by our findings from four U.S. states. Effective, multi-level interventions are needed to reduce disparities for those most affected.

Inova Neuroscience and Spine Institute
1st Tuesday every month
Link to flyer

 

Virginia Epilepsy Support Group
3rd Wednesday every month
Link to flyer
 

Register now for programs and events offered by the EFVA!
 

990 Form

 

Audit

Annual Report (2024-2025)

During the last fiscal year, from July 2023 to July 2024, many of you were so kind as to donate to EFVA or have your companies or institutions donate. Thanks to your generous giving, we were able to continue the many programs we have for the 85,000 Virginians with epilepsy. In the annual report below, you will find an expenditure pie chart, as well as a list of the programs, which we can keep running thanks to your financial generosity. 85,000 Virginians with epilepsy are in your debt.

RHODIUM DONORS - $20,000 and above
Dr. Suzanne Bischoff
 
PLATINUM DONORS - $10,000-$19,999
 
GOLD DONORS - $5,000-$9,999
Dr. Paul and Dr. Deren Lyons, Sarah Colson, Patricia C. Lane, Walmart, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Loyal Order of Moose Inc., UVA Health, INOVA, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc., SK Life Science
 

John and Deborah Lannen, Brandon Clodius, Anonymous, Blackbaud Giving Fund, Dr. Stacey Epps, Fidelity Charitable, TowneBank, Edward Jones, James Wood High School, Pivot Physical Therapy, Luck Stone, John Wall, Sara Budic, Derek Bauer, Charles Shade, Virginia Energy and Lighting, R.A. Laraway, Neurelis, Carol and Donald Craighead, Dennis Terry, Jeff Roseme, Lauren Llanes, J Best, Mr. Robert and Mrs. Megan Tschannen-Moran, Morgan Stanley, Winchester Neurological Consultants, Inc., Midnight Brewery, Ameriprise Financial, Glenn Catalano, Laurie Sheppard, TwelveStone Health Partners, Nicole Tritaik Insurance Agency, Inc., Verna Cook, Kelly Levasseur, United Way of South Hampton Roads, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Medical College of Virginia Foundation, Home Infusion Richmond, LLC, UCB, Inc., Sentara Health, Reston Bicycle Club, Patient First, Cleveland Foundation, Heather Colson
 
IRIDIUM DONORS - $500-$999
Nathan Fountain, Dr. Alan Towne, Wendy Parker, Michael Dalton, Clodfelter Machine Inc., Charles & Nancy Rosenblatt Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation, Inc., Brian P. Washington, NeuroPace, Steven Roberts, Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC, Paul Grabb, Peter Bloom, PayPal Giving Fund, Kelly Gil
 
OSMIUM DONORS - $100-$499
Kevin Chandler, Charles Clarke, Bobby & Tania Blackwell, Vincent Brigagliano, Daniel Heneghan, Walt & Lisa Stone, Tabb Davis, Miriam Blackmon, James Heneghan, James Hall, William & Kathy Hall, Taylor Manley, Walter Manley, Patricia Boyd, Susan Custer, Valerie Acosta, Heather McLeod, Josie Saunders, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Katherine Lannen, Douglas and Jennifer McElhinney, Nalini Ayya, Diane and George Edgar Wagoner, The Gray Insurance Co., Martha McLain, Deborah Harriman, David and Linda Fehleisen, Ann Layton, Lisa Brooks, Fay and Jonathan Fretwell, Gregory Cline, Thomas Junod, Dial Love, Jay Snyder, Elizabeth Ruckman, Amanda Wilson, Beth Gourley, Francis Heneghan, Amy Wainright, Lindsey Feldman, Andrew Feldman, Linda Mantiply, Karen Fagan, Mark Terry, Susan Armentrout, Justine Cohen, Paul Greeley, William Clarke, Moshe Heyn, Michael Wallace, Kitty Blackmon, Jeffrey Gardner, Durrell Boyd, Orien Dalton, James Neale, John Clarke, Carolyn Oglesby, Sally Witt, Janet Baggott, Lisa Tuggle, Shantese Smithers, Roselyn Cottrell, Robin Scott, Renee Williams, Mary Murphy, Susan DeLancy, Eric Floranda, William Heneghan, Ellen Purpura, Ronny Laver, Todd Brock, Lawrence Morton, Amy Davis, Ann Johnson, Ned Farley, Jose Robles-Maldonado, Caymran Cummings, Sandra Dicamillo, Kim Clark, Catherine Kominic, Heather MacLeod, Martha H Hartz, John and Jean Carter, Herbert and Elon Perlin, Donna Mercer, Vinny Donnelly, Laurien Dowdy, Carol Lensch, Erik Lensch, Kroger, Epilepsy Foundation, Benjamin Knowles, Beth Owermohle, Earl So, Kimberly Jones, Laura Agaba, Mary Feltault, Penny Singlemann, Ruchelle Buenaventura, Tiffany Keever, William Manley, Draft Electric & Plumbing Service, Inc., Stephan and Shirley Corbin, Angela Meade, Zoe-Ann Copeland, Jordan Mooney, Anonymous
 
PALLADIUM DONORS - up to $99
Dr. A. M. Rijke, Sibylle Rotach Hunt, Peggy Sloan, Gina Washington, Charles Wilber Jr., G. Frank and Tracy Dunlap, Jeffress and Teresa Given, Joe and Brenda Tankesley, Patricia and W.C. Arey, Jean Gibson, Donna Garner, Pam Cowgill, Nancy Hall, Leegie Kirby, Marianne Simmons, Sue Smith, Jennifer Faith Strobel, Dale and S. Lee Heizer, James and Teresa Hott, Samuel and Beverly Richardson, Carol Heizer Wojciechowski, Ann Heizer, Joseph Emmett Lail, Holtzman Oil Corporation, Judy and Guy Eavers, Mary Frances Chittum, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, Stacey Little, Mark Stevens, Brittany Yost, Wendy Talarico, Joseph DiPiro, Joanna Diaz, Jason Heyn, Marty Heyn, John Heyn, Gary Weidhaas, John Kinney, Patricia Mueller, Travis Marley, Amory Dugan, Eric Mayl, Salome Loera, Adam Liebler, Mary Kauffman, Elhum Shamshiri, Lillian Reynolds, Barbara Donegan, Shirley Ramsey, Doreen Marquis, Ken Kwartler, Ginger Germani, Cary Doak, Kimberly Warren, Angie Fox, Kathryn Nichol, Sheila Rieser, Alicia Lugg, Jeff Elias, Kathie Kelly, Gina Henderson, Dawn Legg, June Walthall, Donna Broshek, Alycia Winter, Rashell Younger, Liam Winters, John and Patricia Smith, Charles and Lou Ann Belvin, Bank of America, Carol Thompson, Janice Tokarsky, Erica Wolfe, Rhiannon Maxton, Lola Shank, Pat McClellan, Donna Applebee, Jeremy Ingram, Melinda Monet, Laura Ford, Jason Rush, Joey Jarvis, Bryant Clarke, Sean Plunkett, Rhonda Deputy, Janet Lynn, Doris Freund, Amy Kritzman, Debbee Kiel, Holly Schrank, Dale Chimerofsky, Jim Fry, Randall Anthony, Owen Thompson, Michelle Eddy, Nancy McMicken, Robert Sillmon Jr., Frank Santa, Colin William, Rosalba Rosario, Theodore Stout, Shannon Reardon, Cathy Padgett, Wendy Dee, Nancy Cundiff, Rhoda Ballantyne, Tyler Hawkins, Amanda Faith, Maggie Shanley, Kim Flanders, Deanna Reger, Gmen RC, Russ Brickey, Alice Huggins, Marianne Bowen, Tami Phoenix, Steve Heller, Margaret Brooke, Alejandro Mattiuzzo, Amie Knapp, April Marshall, Erin Dudley, Katie Zimmerman, Laura Lay, Susan Cohen, Heather Davis, Elizabeth Marie, Shannon Martin, Alejandro Mattiuzzo, Michael Siefring, Sandra and Lynwood Hutchens, Carlton and Sharon Brydge, Jamie Swann, Brielle Parker, Sherry Buenaventura, Julie Mick, Leesa Gauthier, Malinda Hargrove-Miller, Richard Rencher, Devonee Shearer, Anonymous