HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - A new Virginia law will call for businesses to display information about seizure first aid.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the "Seizure Aware Workplaces" bill into law on April 7. It will go into effect on July 1.
When the law goes into effect, the Department of Labor and Industry are expecting employers to physically post this information for businesses with 25 or more employees. It requires the in-color signs to be posted in an open and easily visible area in the workplace.
The signs for seizure first aid are meant to include procedures to respond and to provide safety and comfort to those suffering from a seizure. The signs will not include any medical training on how to treat someone dealing with an episode.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation of America, “advocates and local Epilepsy Foundation staff across the U.S. have continued to pursue similar legislation to spread awareness and create safer communities for those living with epilepsy and seizure disorders.”
Previously, News 3 reporter Erin Miller covered this topic in interviewing a local teen, Jamie Van Cleave, who was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy. As part of Jamie’s story, she worked to break the stigma and create safe spaces by helping pass the bill in Virginia.
The law will help inform others in the workplace and includes the “Good Samaritan” law in the Code of Virginia that protects the individual in the event of having to give emergency care or services.
Jamie worked with Del. G. John Avoli (R-20th District) in the 2022 session.
“HB 1178 is a major step in bringing awareness to seizure safety across Virginia. I am thankful to my colleagues in the General Assembly for passing this bill to ensure Virginia’s workforce is equipped with the necessary information to care for the 1 in 10 people who will suffer seizures at some point in their lives. I applaud Jamie Van Cleave for her continued successful efforts to bring seizure awareness to the Commonwealth and making Virginia the second state in the nation to establish Seizure Safe Workplaces," De. Avoli said.
