Authors :
First Author: Thometta Cozart, MS, MPH, MCHES, CPH – Epilepsy Foundation
Presenting Author: Shelkecia Lessington, MPH, CHES – Epilepsy Foundation
SHELKECIA LESSINGTON, MPH, CHES – Community Engagement Specialist, Public Health & Education Unit, Epilepsy Foundation; Eric Mimms, BS – Intern, EF Public Health & Education Unit, Morehouse School of Medicine
Rationale:
Social determinants of health are the conditions related to where people live, work, play, learn and worship that impact an individual’s health. These determinants affect the quality of life of people with epilepsy (PWE). Between 2017 to 2021, the national Epilepsy Helpline received an increased number of requests for housing and food assistance. To address the unmet social needs of people living with epilepsy, mini grants were distributed to build the capacity of the epilepsy network to address social determinants of health.Methods:
Grantees partnered with multi-sector organizations with expertise in addressing food and housing insecurities to increase awareness of epilepsy disparities among diverse populations; to increase epilepsy knowledge among social service and public health providers; to increase local linkage and referral systems to identify more PWE from diverse populations; and to reduce housing and food insecurity among PWE.Results:
Nine organizations were funded from February to September 2022 with $10,000 each to conduct training, outreach and/or media activities engaging the social services workforce and implement activities that help learn more about the social needs of those living with epilepsy through screening tools, surveys, and assessments. Projects were implemented in the following states: Kentucky, Texas, Minnesota, California, Connecticut, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, and Delaware.Conclusions:
The mini-grantee projects resulted in memberships of local/state multi-sector public health organizations, such as APHA and AHEC. Surveys and screening tools assessed the unmet social needs of PWE, including housing and food insecurity. One survey determined that of the PWE surveyed 26% frequently or often were concerned with food insecurity, and 16% have challenges finding or keeping stable housing in Connecticut. New partnerships with social organizations, including Workforce Commissions, WICs, Food Banks/Pantries, Shelters, Multi-Assistance Centers, and Habitat for Humanity, resulted in increased local social need resources to link to people living with epilepsy and more epilepsy education training for social service workforces. More than 30,000 African Americans, primarily men, were reached, website enhancements that allow instant translation into various languages were added, new epilepsy videos in Spanish were created, and epilepsy resources were translated into Hmong and Somali languages. Marketing and media efforts included tv and radio PSAs, Billboard ads, city bus ads, and social media yielded more than 1 million impressions. All grantees reported making both housing and food resource referrals with a total of 182 for housing and 155 for food. The ability to address the food and housing needs of people with epilepsy was strengthened due to a collaborative approach and an intentional focus on the social determinants of epilepsy.Funding:
This work was made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under cooperative agreement number NU58DP006065-01-00. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the CDC.