Spectrum Health Designated Level 4 Epilepsy Center

Comprehensive Care for Pediatric, Adult Epilepsy Patients

Spectrum Health’s comprehensive epilepsy program has been designated a Level 4 epilepsy center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Level 4 is the highest designation established by the NAEC and indicates a fully integrated, comprehensive epilepsy program.

Spectrum Health is the only epilepsy center in West Michigan with a Level 4 designation and the only program that provides comprehensive care for both pediatric and adult epilepsy patients.

“This designation means that Spectrum Health provides the most comprehensive care available for patients suffering from epilepsy. All diagnostic and treatment options that presently available are here at Spectrum Health. In addition, care is provided by clinicians who are some of the most experienced in the field. There is no need for patients in West Michigan to travel across the state or out of state for comprehensive epilepsy services, as they have had to in the past,” said Brien Smith, MD, co-chair, department of clinical neurosciences, and chief, division of neurology, Spectrum Health Medical Group.

Level 4 centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level of medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy, including individuals with uncontrolled seizures. In addition, Level 4 centers provide a broad range of surgical procedures for epilepsy. Kost Elisevich, MD, PhD, co-chair, department of clinical neurosciences, and chief, division of neurosurgery, Spectrum Health Medical Group, has extensive experience providing surgical interventions for epilepsy and seizure disorders.

“Our ability to provide the highest level of care to patients with epilepsy and seizure disorders, from childhood through adulthood, makes our program exceptional,” said Daniel Arndt, MD, Spectrum Health
Medical Group, and director of the pediatric epilepsy program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “We know our patients. We know their history and the care plan for their future. That makes a difference.”

Under the leadership of Smith, Arndt and Elisevich, the comprehensive epilepsy program interdisciplinary team at Spectrum Health includes epileptologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, nurse specialists, electroencephalogram (EEG) technologists, an epilepsy dietician and others with special training and experience in epilepsy.

Spectrum Health also provides epilepsy monitoring to accurately diagnose a seizure problem and determine the best treatment plan, including whether surgery is an option. During epilepsy monitoring, EEG equipment monitors patient brain activity and video cameras record body movements during a seizure. The adult epilepsy monitoring unit is located in Butterworth Hospital and the pediatric unit is located in Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state of the art children’s hospital that opened in January 2011, and 190 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 600 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 625,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with more than 18,000 employees. The organization provided $176.5 million in community benefit during its 2011 fiscal year.