News from the Idaho Falls Office

School Nurses Training

On July 22, 2005, the Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho, in partnership with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the national Epilepsy Foundation, and the National School Nurses Association, provided southeastern Idaho school nurses an epilepsy education training. Nurses received a training binder, including an inservice training program, videos, pamphlets and other printed materials. In addition, the program included:

• Essential elements of epilepsy training for school personnel
• Treatments & strategies for managing epilepsy in the schools
• Methods for addressing epilepsy-related psychosocial issues in school age children
• Critical issues of delegation and administration of medication
• Key components of a seizure action plan
• The impact of seizures on learning and behavior

EFI thanks the following individuals for their help in planning and presentation of this important program: Dr. William Domarad, presenter; Melinda Roth, school nurse; Jane Henry, school nurse; Amy Gammett, Nurse Supervisor for Idaho District 7 school nurses.

For more information on epilepsy training for school personnel, including school nurses, contact the Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho.

Mud Run Obstacle Course is a New Event for EFI/Idaho Falls

The Idaho Falls office of the Epilepsy Foundation of Idaho added a new component to the eastern Idaho 13th Annual Mud Volleyball Tournament this summer. The Mud Run was a challenging 5K run that took runners through various obstacles, including mud pits, hills, sand crawls, climbing walls, a canal crossing and, of course, road running. Age divisions were formed for individual runners and team (five members) runners. Volunteers maintained checkpoints. At the conclusion, participants could be heard heralding the obstacle course as one of the hardest and most challenging. Loralee Anderson, event coordinator and epilepsy services specialist in Idaho Falls reported, "We are looking forward to 2006. This new event has sparked the interest of the running community."

The Mud Volleyball Tournament entries were capped at 48 teams. The double elimination event started at a chilly 59 degrees, but the day eventually warmed up to the 80's. Final matches were held under portable lights, with chamionship games finishing off the day at about 9:00 PM. Participants enjoyed the lights and warmth from the gooey mud.

As always, many thanks go out to the volunteers and sponsors who contributed countless hours of work. Revenues raised will continue to provide the muchneeded comprehensive epilepsy services in eastern Idaho.