Nearly three years ago, local people with epilepsy lost the doctors and the clinic that gave them "quality of life" and even cured them of seizures.

Now, with a new partnership, the doctors and patients are back together as a local hospital gives them a clinical home.

Elmo Boudreaux of Marrero goes there to find out why he passes out and gets pain in his brain.

"I've been married 23 years and the strain that it puts on the family and just on everyday life, if they could find out what's wrong with me and take care of it, it would be a miracle for me," he said. 

"Sometimes it’s really tough," added his wife Tammy. "Elmo was the one who did everything - went to work everyday, planned everything, took care of his own family and now a couple days a week he can't even function. And we don't really know what's going on and it's scary."  

So in hopes of a diagnosis and treatment they have come to West Jefferson Medical Center where the newly opened Epilepsy Center of Excellence is run by neurosurgeons from LSU Health Sciences Center. It's a new partnership that doctors say is critical.

"For the first time since the disaster we can now offer the full range of services to diagnose, treat and even cure epilepsy," says Dr. Larry Hollier, LSUHSC Chancellor. "In partnership with West Jefferson Medical Center we are reestablishing the only level-4 epilepsy center along the Gulf Coast."

"In the post Katrina world this is a demand that is absolutely something that we had to respond to," says West Jefferson Medical Center CEO, Nancy Cassagne. 

The former Epilepsy Center was in Memorial Medical Center uptown on Napoleon Avenue, and there has been no place to treat, diagnose, monitor or perform epilepsy brain surgery since Katrina flooded the area.

"For two and a half years we have been unable to monitor our patients and provide surgical services," said Dr. Piotr Olejniczak, the Director of the Epilepsy Center of Excellence for the LSU Health Sciences Center.

 "Epilepsy is a major problem in our society and almost four percent of the population has recurrent problems with seizures and that translates into almost 90,000 people in the state of Louisiana," says Dr. Erich Richter, Associate Director of the Epilepsy Center of Excellence at the LSU Health Sciences Center. 

Some of the patients who used the center before the storm said the treatment and brain surgery there changed their lives. Now they are now seizure-free.

"The surgery was a great success,” said patient Chris Willig, who said he got into a wreck in 1984 that nearly killed two friends of his.

"It's been six years,” said epilepsy patient Barbara McGowan. “I've had absolutely no seizures, so now I can drive, I can cook on a stove, and I can use power tools."

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 504- 568-4090