State Representatives Gayle Manning and Bride Rose Sweeney gave sponsor testimony on May 12 before the House Community Revitalization Committee in support of House Bill 758, known as the Brenna Brossard SUDEP Awareness Act. The proposed bipartisan legislation aims to increase awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) by ensuring that patients, families, healthcare providers, and first responders have access to prevention information and resources.
The bill is named after Brenna Brossard, a 25-year-old woman who died unexpectedly during an epileptic seizure in January 2022. Her family learned about SUDEP only after her death through the Epilepsy Association of Cleveland. Despite years of care from specialists, neither Brenna nor her family had been informed about SUDEP or its risk factors.
“This legislation is about empowering families with information that could save lives,” said 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.” According to the Epilepsy Foundation, more than one in one thousand people with epilepsy die from SUDEP each year; however, advocates believe this number may be underreported.
“Too many families learn about SUDEP only after tragedy strikes,” said 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.” The bill builds upon similar bipartisan efforts introduced previously by Sweeney and former State Representative Tom Patton during the last General Assembly session.
Lou Brossard said: “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.”
House Bill 758 would strengthen Ohio’s approach to SUDEP prevention by requiring healthcare professionals treating epilepsy patients to provide information on risk factors; mandating confirmed cases be reported nationally; allowing voluntary epilepsy designations on state identification cards; and requiring insurance coverage for medically necessary seizure detection devices prescribed by specialists. Manning has served multiple terms in both chambers of Ohio’s legislature focusing on community issues according to her official website.
House Bill 758 awaits further consideration before the committee.
