|
 In partnership with the Southern Illinois University Neuroscience
Institute, Memorial Medical Center in Springfield has been
accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a
Level 3 epilepsy center.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder associated with abnormal
electrical activity in the brain. It's marked by sudden and repeated
episodes of sensory disturbances, loss of consciousness and
convulsions. As Illinois’ southernmost accredited epilepsy center,
the Springfield program is more easily accessible to patients in the
downstate area and is one of only 13 accredited centers in Illinois.
One is in Urbana, another in Peoria, and the remaining 10 are in
Chicago.
The Level 3 accreditation recognizes that SIU and Memorial have the
professional expertise and state-of-the-art diagnostic and
therapeutic facilities to provide the highest level medical
evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy,
including surgery and behavioral health support.
“At the SIU Neuroscience Institute, our goal is to provide timely
assessment and improve the quality of life for patients with
epilepsy,” said Najib Murr, MD, co-director of the SIU Neuroscience
Institute’s Epilepsy Center and director of the EEG
(electroencephalogram) Lab at Memorial Medical Center. “Patients can
see our specialists and have a complete treatment plan in a few
days.”
Joining Murr are Abdullah Al Sawaf, MD, and Sajjad Mueed, both SIU
Medicine neurologists, who provide specialty care in epilepsy. The
Memorial Epilepsy Center not only provides routine care to
individuals with seizures or epilepsy, but also specializes in
providing comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services to
individuals with uncontrolled seizures.
[to top of second column] |
The center’s multidisciplinary team approach includes team-based care from
neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists and neuropsychologists at SIU and
radiologists and interventional radiologists at Memorial Medical Center.
"We are honored and proud of this accreditation, which acknowledges our efforts
to provide the most innovation care to our patients," said Tiffany Whitaker, a
registered nurse and director of comprehensive stroke services at Memorial
Medical Center. "The Memorial Epilepsy Center features an excellent
multidisciplinary team that improves access to specialists while providing
patient-centered care."
The coordinated care is the infrastructure for the SIU Neuroscience Institute,
which consolidates SIU’s departments of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry
into a single-site outpatient clinical care center staffed by more than 50
neuroscience providers.
An estimated 2.2 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with epilepsy.
In Illinois, nearly 140,000 people live with this chronic and often disabling
condition. Early intervention is key to successful treatment, Murr said.
For more information or to make an appointment at the Epilepsy Center, call
217-545-8000. A list of providers is available at
https://www.siumed.edu/nsi/ nsi-referral-guide-2018.html.
[SIU Medicine]
 |
