UK's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Receives Highest Designation Level

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 10, 2014) -- The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) has given Level 4 designation to the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at the University of Kentucky's Kentucky Neuroscience Institute (KNI).

UK is the only Level 4 epilepsy center in the Bluegrass, and among 149 such centers in the United States. Level 4 of epilepsy care is the highest designation level offered by the NAEC.

"KNI has a commitment to providing the highest level and broadest range of treatment for its patients, and the NAEC Level 4 designation is yet another acknowledgement of our success in reaching that goal," said Dr. Michael R. Dobbs, interim chair of neurology and associate chief medical officer for UK HealthCare. "I'm delighted that the program has been recognized for its quality and range of care, and credit justly goes to the multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists and staff that makes us worthy of this designation."

A Level 4 center provides the most complex forms of evaluation, including invasive brain monitoring and imaging and neuropsychological evaluation, and offers a broad range of medical and surgical treatment options.

"The epilepsy center has been providing the most comprehensive and specialized care to the people of Central and Eastern Kentucky for more than two decades," said Dr. Meriem Bensalem-Owen, director of KNI's Epilepsy Program. "Our epilepsy clinics, an active surgical program, and clinical trials offer a broad range of advanced forms of therapy for patients with difficult to control seizures.  Those, in combination with our neuropsychological expertise and outreach efforts, make us the gold standard for epilepsy care in the bluegrass."

The NAEC is a non-profit group of more than 170 specialized epilepsy centers in the United States with the mission of setting a national agenda for quality epilepsy care. 

Media Contact:  Laura Dawahare, laura.dawahare@uky.edu