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Information for Sinemet Users

There  have been some recent announcements regarding Sinemet that our Parkinson's clients should be aware of.  Please read about those changes here as well as about Merck Canada's Sinemet Patient Assistance Program.

 

Save the Date!

Our biennial conference on Parkinson's will take place on Saturday, April 14th and will feature J. Eric Ahlskog, Ph.D., M.D., Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic, and Dr Matthew Farrer, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neirogentics and Translational Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia. Watch for information in the new year!


VEPC Seeks New Board Members

Are you someone with epilepsy or Parkinson’s?  Are you a friend or family member of someone with epilepsy or Parkinson’s?  Do you have skills that could contribute to a nonprofit Board?


The Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre (VEPC) is a vibrant and welcoming non-profit society whose purpose is to strengthen clients’, families’ and communities’ ability to manage the physical, psychological and social effects of Parkinson’s and epilepsy.  VEPC is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of people living with epilepsy or Parkinson’s and professionals with an interest in the two disorders.  Board members are appointed for an initial one-year term followed by two-year terms.  Each Board member is expected to serve on at least one Board committee.  The Board of Directors provides overall direction for the organization and is responsible for ensuring VEPC’s programmatic and fiscal health and accountability. 


VEPC is currently seeking new Board members.  We are particularly interested in individuals with backgrounds in finance, fundraising, and public relations.  We are seeking people with strong ties to the local community and an interest in epilepsy and/or Parkinson’s.  Board members are typically selected by the current Board of Directors and approved by the General Membership at VEPC’s Annual General Meeting.
If you have knowledge and experience that will assist VEPC as it grows to meet the needs of growing populations of individuals with epilepsy and Parkinson’s in the Victoria Capital Regional District, we encourage you to apply to join VEPC’s Board of Directors by contacting us to request an application. 


You can reach VEPC at (250) 475-6677, help@vepc.bc.ca, or visit our website at www.vepc.bc.ca
 

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Get Ready for Purple Day
 
 
 
Purple Day for Epilepsy (Purple Day) is held each year on March 26 and this year on March 24th you can join in and help with Victoria's first annual Plane Pull for Epilepsy. This one day event - the Viscount Air Plane Pull for Epilepsy - will see teams gather together to raise pledges in support of the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson's Centre Society (VEPC) and join in a fun and engaging day of competition and camaraderie at the Viscount Aero Centre, located near Victoria's International Airport.

 

Be a part of the fun of this first time event that will capture the attention, minds and hearts of the community and pull together for a great cause!  See the website at www.victoriaplanepull.ca.

 

 

 

Class Action on Neurontin

Individuals with epilepsy who have taken Neurontin, should be aware of a Class Action law suit currently underway.  Please read more here.

 

Board

Our agency is governed by a Board of Directors who are interested in assisting through their personal and/or professional experience with epilepsy or Parkinson's. If you have a strong desire to serve the agency through your personal commitment to good governance, enjoy working and learning as a team, are confident in carrying out volunteer projects that suit your personal or professional interests then you might want to consider contacting us for a board membership information package. Kindly contact us by email or by calling (250) 475-6677. 

Executive Committee:
    President: David Medler
    Vice-President: Christine Coates 
    Treasurer: William Morrow
    Secretary: Lynn Pollock
    Executive Director VEPC: Catriona Johnson

Members at Large:    Alanna Holroyd, Dr. Alex Moll,  Christopher Pitt, Blaise Salmon, Ross Young, Dionne Barnes, Nathan Lampard, Harvey Lazar

Dionne Barnes has served on a number of non-profit Boards in both British Columbia and Alberta.  Professionally, she is a Certified Accountant with League Assets Corp.

Christine Coates has been working and living with epilepsy for over 40 years. Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Christine moved with her family to Victoria in 1977. Currently, Christine is the Financial Manager at the Community Social Planning Council (CSPC), a local charitable, non-profit organization that provides leadership, community-based social research and communication services in the Capital Region. Prior to working at the CSPC, Christine owned a clutter management business and also worked 20 years for the provincial government. She brings to the VEPC financial and communications experience. Her passions are gardening and interior design.

Michael Doman had a lengthy career in the computer industry before retiring as a director of new product development. He has since enjoyed a second career in home restoration, while fulfilling his passion as an avid sailor. With years of experience volunteering for many organizations in various capacities, Mike is bringing his personal perspective as a person with Parkinson’s plus his organizational knowledge to the role as incoming president of the board and as a member of several board committees.

Alanna Holroyd is a longstanding member of the board with a full range of volunteer and business experience. Having raised two (now) adult children, and staying very involved one of her family’s enterprises, Alanna takes an interest in all the endeavours of the agency. Consistent with her interest in the provision of innovative health care, Alanna has been very supportive of our programs and services.

Nathan Lampard is an Associate Counsel with the Victoria law firm of Jawl & Bundon, where he practices primarily in the areas of corporate and commercial transactions, real estate transactions and development, and the planning and administration of wills, trusts and estates.  Raised both here in Victoria and in Honolulu, Hawaii, Nate practiced law in Hawaii, Connecticut and New Jersey before moving back to Victoria with his wife and their three young children in 2008.  Nate has lived with epilepsy, in one form or another, for nearly half his life.

Harvey Lazar is an Adjunct Professor in Public Administration at the University of Victoria. Dr. Lazar spent many years in the Public Service of Canada. His last two assignments were as Deputy Chair, the Economic Council of Canada (1986-1992), and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, HRDC (1992-1996).  From 1997 to 2005 he was Director of the Queen’s Institute of Intergovernmental Relations. Harvey has edited and co-authored nine volumes including Money, Politics and Health Care (2004). He is currently working on a book on “why it is so hard to reform health care in Canada”. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 7 years ago.

David Medler returned to Victoria after spending seven years as a research faculty member in the Neurology Department at the Medical College of Wisconsin. There he specialized in functional neuroimaging of language processes and worked closely with a team of physicians who studied epilepsy, contributing to a project in pre-surgical mapping of language areas for epilepsy patients. David is pleased to bring his experience to the board and various board committees. Currently, David is a sessional instructor in the Psychology Department at the University of Victoria and is Vice-President and COO of The Executive Network Inc., a human resource consulting firm.

Dr. Alex Moll is a neurologist in private practice who has given numerous educational presentations to our clients as well and represented the agency in various ways. As a former member of the executive committee of the board and a long standing supporter of the agency’s efforts, the Centre is very grateful to Alex as he continues to provide valuable professional perspective to agency affairs.

William Morrow retired from a busy and fulfilling career with Petro Canada as Vice President and Corporate Controller. A physically active person, Bill and his wife moved to the Victoria area upon retirement where he then turned to sailing which has brought him much joy, plus volunteerism as a way of giving back to his community. The agency has greatly benefited from his role as treasurer of the board and his participation on a number of board committees, and from his invaluable life experience as a person with Parkinson's. 

Christopher Pitt had a lengthy career in the trust industry as an advisor in estate planning and wealth managment. He moved to his second career in the charitable sector six years ago where he applied his skills and knowledge to the role of Planned Giving and Major Gifts Officer. He is a past member of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In addition to his experience volunteering for many organizations over the years Christopher brings a personal perspective to the board as a person with early onset Parkinson's.  

Lynn Pollock is a clinical pharmacist/health educator. She has an eclectic professional background, having worked in hospital, community, academia, and government. Her areas of professional interest include seniors' health care, chronic disease self-management, women's health, and mental health. It is her interest in health education and in encouraging people to take an active part in their own health care that have motivated her to become a board member.

Blaise Salmon has a background in finance and investments.  He currently works for Oikocredit, a global microfinance agency.   He was born and raised in Victoria, and attended university in Toronto and Paris, studying history.   He lives in Fairfield with his wife Sonia, and their four children. His mother has Parkinson's.

Ross Young has been an educator and counselor for most of his adult life. He has taught at all grade levels and was a principal and supervisor for 10 years. He then taught at the University of Victoria for 14 years in special education and child development areas.  In counseling, Ross has covered all areas but specialized in educational therapy. He has worked with children with learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, autism and epilepsy. Ross has developed a method of identifying learning problems within an hour and providing a program for the learner, parent, teacher and helper.  Ross was president of Divorce Lifeline for 5 years, president of teacher organizations for 4 years and president of the Greater Victoria Preschool Association for one year. He has done workshops on behavior, learning and literacy throughout B.C., Washington, Oregon and Southern California. Ross loves to help people find the easy and simple answers to their problems.

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