CHAPTER 182 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 5014 A Concurrent Resolution urging the establishment of an interdisciplinary council on brain seizures.       WHEREAS,  Epilepsy is a prevalent serious neurological disorder
which occurs across all age groups, race, origin and gender; and

      WHEREAS,  Research indicates that epilepsy is a disease which has a
great potential for rehabilitation and greater cost effectiveness for treat-
ment; and

      WHEREAS,  Uncontrollable epileptic seizures can affect all areas of
the afflicted person's life to the extent of losing jobs, social relationships
and the privilege of driving a motorized vehicle in Kansas, K.S.A. 1998
Supp. 8-247; and

      WHEREAS,  Over 90% of persons with epilepsy are educable, should
be able to lead fruitful lives and hold jobs if their seizures could be con-
trolled; and

      WHEREAS,  Doctor Ivan Osorio, director of the Kansas Medical Cen-
ter's comprehensive epilepsy center, in conjunction with other institutions
is developing a warning device that will remove the unpredictability of
the seizures, thus, improving the afflicted person's quality of life; and

      WHEREAS,  The device should predict such seizures with great ac-
curacy within a range of 30 seconds to about three minutes of when the
seizure will occur; and

      WHEREAS,  The development of the automated treatment device
which will deliver treatment only when needed and only to the part of
the brain where it is needed will effectively reduce the cost of care and
replace daily medications which may have side effects even worse than
the seizures: Now, therefore,

      Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Kansas,
the Senate concurring therein: That a Kansas Interdisciplinary Institute
for Epilepsy be established to continue to find cost effective, compas-
sionate alternatives of treatment to current modes of therapy for persons
with epilepsy and to find other applications for use of such treatments
for other disciplines involved in the institute; and

      Be it further resolved: That the Kansas Interdisciplinary Institute for
Epilepsy shall consult with the Commission on Epilepsy to avoid dupli-
cation of services; and

      Be it further resolved: That the Board of Regents be involved in sup-
porting the institute and that the institute confer and work with Dr. Ivan
Osorio and his colleagues to further develop their device which can pre-
dict and control the seizures; and

      Be it further resolved: That the institute prepare and submit a report
with recommendations to the Board of Regents, Governor and Legisla-
ture during the 2000 legislative session.

 Adopted by the House February 23, 1999.
Adopted by the Senate
March 25, 1999.
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