Michael Prior has been supported by Springbrook as a resident of the Community Homes program for much of his life. Two years ago, his brother Patrick used funds from the Springbrook Pooled Trust account—previously opened on Michael’s behalf—to support Michael’s need for medical marijuana to relieve seizures from epilepsy. The decision to try medical marijuana was made after many years of discussion, research, and mixed results of strong antiepileptic and psychotropic drugs. Patrick and Michael faced doctors who were uncertain about the benefits of cannabis to treat epilepsy and working with a person with a disability. This may be due to a lack of research and the historic exclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) from national surveys, data sets, and health research; however, after some searching, Patrick found a doctor who understood Michael’s condition and was willing to assist him in acquiring medical marijuana to manage his seizures. The final hurdle they faced was finding insurance coverage— Michael’s medical insurance did not cover medical marijuana, and the prescription had to be purchased in cash because cannabis is still considered an illegal drug under federal law. This is where the Pooled Trust comes in: once a prescription was written, money could be pulled from Michael’s account to purchase medical marijuana at a local dispensary. Today, Michael’s seizure activity has been reduced, and some of the adverse side effects he experienced on other medications have been mitigated. Patrick has seen his brother’s quality of life improve and is thankful to the Springbrook Foundation and the Pooled Trust for ensuring his brother’s needs are met.
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