Reps. Manning, Sweeney Provide Sponsor Testimony in Support of the Bipartisan Brenna Brossard SUDEP Awareness Act

COLUMBUS - State Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) today provided sponsor testimony before the House Community Revitalization Committee on House Bill (HB) 758, the "Brenna Brossard SUDEP Awareness Act." The bipartisan legislation would raise awareness of SUDEP, or Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, by ensuring patients, families, healthcare providers, and first responders have access to prevention information and resources.

On January 30, 2022, an otherwise healthy and active 25-year-old young woman named Brenna Brossard passed away suddenly during an epileptic seizure in the middle of the night. In the aftermath of their unimaginable loss, Brenna's parents learned about SUDEP for the first time through the Epilepsy Association of Cleveland. Despite more than two decades of care from epilepsy specialists, Brenna and her family had never been informed about SUDEP, its risk factors, or the steps that could be taken to reduce risk.

"This legislation is about empowering families with information that could save lives," said Rep. Manning. "By improving awareness, strengthening patient and provider education, and expanding access to prevention resources, our bill takes meaningful steps to better support Ohioans living with epilepsy."

SUDEP is the sudden, unexpected death of someone with epilepsy who was otherwise healthy and is the leading cause of death among individuals with uncontrolled seizures. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, more than 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP each year, though advocates believe the condition is significantly underreported.

"Too many families learn about SUDEP only after tragedy strikes," said Rep. Sweeney. "I am deeply grateful to Brenna's parents, Lou and Joni Brossard, for sharing their story and for turning unimaginable grief into a mission to protect other families from experiencing the same loss."

House Bill 758 builds upon similar bipartisan legislation previously introduced by Rep. Sweeney and former State Rep. Tom Patton during the 135th General Assembly, which passed the Ohio House with bipartisan support by a vote of 91-2.

"The Brossard family is incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support this legislation received in the Ohio House of Representatives during the last General Assembly and hopeful that support will carry the bill across the finish line this year," said Lou Brossard, father of Brenna Brossard.

The updated legislation would strengthen Ohio's approach to SUDEP prevention in four key ways:

• Improving patient education and provider support by requiring healthcare professionals treating epilepsy patients to provide information on SUDEP risk factors and prevention;
• Improving data collection and reporting by requiring confirmed SUDEP cases to be documented and reported to the national SUDEP registry;
• Improving emergency response by creating a voluntary epilepsy designation on Ohio driver's licenses and state identification cards to assist first responders during medical emergencies; and
• Improving access to seizure detection and protection devices by requiring insurance coverage for medically necessary seizure detection devices prescribed by a specialist and prohibiting denial of coverage based on a pre-existing epilepsy diagnosis.

House Bill 758 awaits further consideration before the House Community Revitalization Committee.