Matty Fund gives to VA Medical Center

PROVIDENCE – The Providence VA Medical Center has received a $10,000 grant from the Matty Fund for a research project for veterans.
The project will investigate the psychological and social challenges experienced by veterans with epileptic seizures, and effective clinical care for them.
“The Matty Fund recognizes the increasing need for research and the clinical care of veterans with seizures,” said Dr. Susan MacKenzie, director of the Providence VAMC. “We are grateful for their support and hopeful this project will develop effective treatments that will improve the lives of affected veterans nationwide.”
Veterans encounter unique challenges because their seizure-related psychosocial difficulties are often amplified by post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD, and traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Among the goals of caring for veterans with epilepsy is developing effective treatments for these conditions.
The Providence VAMC has been using a 12-session seizure therapy intervention in veteran patients with non-epileptic seizures, which resulted in a reduction in seizures, improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms, and improvement in quality of life. The treatment plan has been used successfully for epilepsy in non-veterans in prior pilot trials at other facilities.
Support from the nonprofit Matty Fund will allow bridging of treatments, research, training and education by supporting a student who will work with the study. This will help the Providence VAMC provide seizure therapy in a new pilot study treating 10 veterans with epilepsy.
The veterans will continue existing treatment with their current care providers.