(Madera, CA) – Valley Children’s is home to the only level 4 Epilepsy Center in Central California, the highest-level designation from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. This prestigious accreditation makes Valley Children’s one of only five level 4 epilepsy centers in California offering comprehensive care specifically to pediatric patients with epilepsy.
According to the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, level 4 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.
“Becoming a National Association of Epilepsy Center certified level 4 Epilepsy Center recognizes the specialized expertise and innovative procedures Valley Children’s neuroscience team has to offer,” says Dr. Cesar Santos, Valley Children’s Medical Director of Neuroscience and Neurology. “It shows that anything an epilepsy patient might need, from neurodiagnostic monitoring to complex surgery, can be done right here in the Central Valley.”
This designation comes after years of innovation and advancement within the Neuroscience program at Valley Children’s. Last year, the Neuroscience team used top of the line technology and performed cutting edge procedures to perform life altering advancements for epilepsy patients; this includes performing a hemispherectomy, a surgery disconnecting one half of the brain from the other, and usage of Rosa, a robotic arm used for minimally invasive brain and spine surgery.
These advancements show no signs of slowing down as Valley Children’s prepares for surgeries using new laser ablation technology.
“The level 4 designation shows we are providing the most advanced, state of the art medical therapies and surgical treatments for those patients with epilepsy,” says Dr. Patricia Clerkin, Valley Children’s Medical Director of Neurosurgery. “We will deliver the highest level of care to our community.”
Currently there are approximately 12,000 children living with epilepsy in the Central Valley. While one-third of these cases are not controllable with medication, technology at Valley Children’s such as surgical robots and laser ablation provide advanced and innovative options for patients.
Valley Children’s Epilepsy Center is part of the greater Valley Children’s Neuroscience program, which also includes Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuropsychology and Neuro-oncology. This Neuroscience program treats a wide range of complex brain and spinal cord conditions for children and adolescents.
A level 4 Epilepsy Center means that Valley Children’s provides a full depth and breadth of services, including:
- Complex forms of intensive neurodiagnostic monitoring
- Extensive medical, neuropsychological and psychosocial treatment
- Complete evaluation for epilepsy surgery, including intracranial electrodes
- Broad range of surgical care for epilepsy
Valley Children’s intends to grow the Epilepsy Center through a six-bed Epilepsy Monitoring Unit on site, which will provide around-the-clock centralized monitoring. Construction on this special unit begins next week.