Epilepsy Foundation Of Florida May Be Forced To Cut Critical Services

By Marti Glaser, CBS12
October 4, 2015

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — According to the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida, The Department of Health (DOH) recently cut its budget by more than half a million dollars.

“We received a call from DOH on September 16, 2015 that the state of Florida epilepsy program were cut from the budget by $570,000 effective October 1, 2015,”said Mary Gomez Executive Director of the Epilepsy foundation of Florida.

Gomez says the reality is that important programs like medical services, case management and prevention/education will be affected.

Chris ,48, (who asked we not use his last name ), was diagnosed with Epilepsy when he was only 2 years old .

Chris suffers with severe depression  and says the  services the Foundation provides are his lifeline.

“It makes me feel human,” he said.

He says attending weekly support groups has afforded him an opportunity to develop friendships and has also afforded him an opportunity to meet  people  that he can relate to.

Gomez says they are looking to private donors so that they can continue providing services for the more than 4 hundred thousand people in the state of Florida living with Epilepsy.

The Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (EFOF)  is currently in in 35 of Florida’s 67 counties.