April 19, 2024
Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is pleased to share that its Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic (CEC) has received the 2024 HOPE Award from Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario.
"I’m immensely proud of our Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic team,” says Nash Syed, President of Children’s Hospital. “They are true leaders in paediatric epilepsy care, who continue to expand the boundaries of what is possible each and every day.”
The HOPE Award, which stands for ‘Helping out People with Epilepsy,’ is presented annually to a person, group or organization that has made a difference in the lives of people living with epilepsy. It was awarded to the Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic at Children’s Hospital for the holistic, wrap-around care the team provides to patients diagnosed with a drug-resistant form of the neurological disorder.
“About one-third of epilepsy patients will continue to have seizures, despite trials of two or more anti-seizure drugs,” says Dr. Andrea Andrade, Head of Paediatric Neurology and Director of the Paediatric Epilepsy Program at LHSC. “This is why we are here to provide them with highly specialized, state of the art care that can improve their quality of life.”
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic is part of Children’s Hospital’s Paediatric Epilepsy Program, which is one of two Regional Paediatric Epilepsy Surgical Centres in Ontario. It provides advanced treatment options, such as the ketogenic diet, new medications and surgical interventions.
Led by Dr. Andrade, its interdisciplinary team includes paediatric epileptologists, nurses, social workers, Child Life Specialists and more. Together, they treat almost 500 patients up to age 18 each year.
“We’re pleased to offer a program that supports patients in multiple ways, whether it be physically, psychologically or socially, as we recognize those with epilepsy have different care needs and that those care needs can change over time,” says Dr. Andrade. “Our Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic brings everything together in one place."