The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Sinai Hospital Earns Highest Designation from National Epilepsy Organization

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Baltimore, MD - The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) has certified The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Sinai Hospital as a Level 4 center, its highest designation. This accreditation recognizes centers that have "the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level of medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy," according the NAEC.

P. Jay Foreman, Ph.D., M.D."We are very proud to have achieved this significant milestone, which is a testament to the talent and expertise of our entire epilepsy team, including nurses, physician assistants, neurophysiology technologists, coordinators and physicians," says P. Jay Foreman, Ph.D., M.D., director of the center. "With this NAEC accreditation, our team looks forward to continuing to provide exceptional care for our patients with epilepsy."

The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Sinai is part of the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health.

"Our Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is one of only four such centers in Maryland to earn the prestigious Level 4 designation from one of the foremost epilepsy organizations," says Russell Starkey, director of the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute. "We appreciate the hard work and dedication that our providers, clinical team and support staff put forth in this accomplishment. Our patients and families can feel assured that they are receiving the highest quality of care, which we hope will allow them to live their lives to the fullest."

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes seizures. People can experience various types of seizures: some may become unresponsive or confused, others may have uncontrolled, involuntary shaking and spasms. According the Centers for Disease Control, epilepsy affects more than two million American adults and nearly half-a-million children.

"At the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute, we offer our patients a range of treatments that include both medical and surgical options to manage, and in some cases stop seizures," explains Arash Foroughi, M.D., director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU). "The EMU utilizes continuous video EEG technology to establish the diagnosis of epilepsy and guide appropriate management, ranging from medication therapy to therapeutic devices or possible surgical treatment, as appropriate for individuals with epilepsy."

The Sinai epilepsy team is also well versed in neuropsychological testing, which helps physicians to evaluate how well specific pathways in the brain are performing psychological functions. They also provide psychosocial assessments, which measure how patients relate and interact with other people.

"Our epilepsy team takes great pride in providing excellent care to our patients," adds Foreman. "We are also immensely grateful to Sandra and Malcolm Berman for their continued support of the Brain & Spine Institute."

About the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute:

The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute brings together a unique collaboration of specialists, not only in neurology and neurosurgery, but also in orthopedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and other subspecialties, to offer