Item B1
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date:
10/18/00
Division: Mayor Freeman
Bulk Item: Yes
No X
Department: BOCC-3
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Proclamation proclaiming the Month of November, 2000 as National Epilepsy Awareness Month.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
TOTAL COST:
BUDGETED: Yes No
COST CENTER #
COST TO COUNTY:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No AMOUNT PER MONTH YEAR
APPROVED BY: County Atty _ OMBlPurchasing_ Risk Management_
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL: Co.?lr--t. /'" j_,,-t'J 0'.....
MaYOr~~r~
DOCUMENT A TION: Included:
To Follow:_Not Required: X
DISPOSITION:
Agenda Item #:
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WHEREAS, Epilepsy, also known as'Seizure Disorder; has aftlicted mankind since the dawn of our species
, lind has been recognized since the earliest medical writings, and .' '-," .:',.,
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, . WHEREAS, as long as 4oo'B.C., Hippocrates, the Father ofMedicine. repudiated ancient beliefs that Epilepsy
was a visitation from the gods and sacied or that it Was a curse from the gOds that people aftlicted with this disorder
eld prophetic powers. Hippocrates believed ~EPi!epsy was ~.~ disorder; and . . ' ,
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" " ' 'WHEREAS, a seizure is it sudden. brief attack of altered consciOusness, motor ~vit)l or serisory phenomena.
:~ ,It is l!- sign that certain brain cells (newoQS) are discharging an ~e ~ount of electrical impulses; and
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. - , WHEREAS" EpilepSy cUbe caused by injUiyto theb~ laCk of oxygen at birth, brain tumor, infection and
,brain hemorrhage. In sixty percent of the cases. the cause is ~o~and_ ',- . .
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WHEREAS, Epilepsy can affect anyone~ at any age and at any time; and ,
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-WHEREAs, more thaJi mio million AmericanS are ;.micred with some type of Epilepsy. Of this number,
I~O,OOO are Florida residents; and " '. ,'. _'. '
. . . ;.'j- ; ~~ '
WHEREAS, with the administratiOli of anticonvulsant drugs, two thirds (66.66%) of those aftlicted with
~pilepsy are drug controlled; and ' '
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WHEREAS, studies carried out in the UNITED STATES over the past thirty years have indicated that of ail t
disabilities, Epilepsy poses the greatest barrier to employment with unemployment rates estimated to fail between !
twenty and twenty-five percent; and -' : ' ,
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. _ ,.. '. ~ . _' , .' '., _
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NOW, TIIEREFORE, by virtue of the power vested in me as Mayor of Monroe County, Florida, I SHIRLEY
-'FREEMAN, do hereby proclaim the Month of November, .2000 as: f
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" ,
~~~~~:~~::::~~SS MONTH ~
DATEDthis 18th dayofOctober,2000.
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WHEREAS, the stigma aSsociated ~ith this disorder is sometimes worse than the disorder itself; and
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WHEREAS, people who have Epilepsy make reliable and conscientious workers in job performance,
'productivity, safety, cooperation and attendance; and ,;,:,;L,:' ',;, :'~ ,,'
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