Component B: expanding access and availability of epilepsy self-management programs and multi-sector partnerships in ohio, pennsylvania, west virginia, and kentucky - epilepsy association of western…

Component B: expanding access and availability of epilepsy self-management programs and multi-sector partnerships in ohio, pennsylvania, west virginia, and kentucky - epilepsy association of western and central PA, epilepsy association, and epilepsy alliance ohio seek to partner to increase the availability and accessibility of resources for people with epilepsy in ohio, pennsylvania, west virginia, and kentucky. The project supports the goals and intent of the center for disease control and prevention?S improving epilepsy education, systems of care, and health outcomes through national and community partnerships initiative (component B) by utilizing the combined resources and expertise of this multi-region coalition of partners to 1) expand outreach and delivery of an evidence-based self-management program for people with epilepsy and 2) build, support, and sustain local and regional multi-sector partnership networks to increase connections to underutilized community resources to support the social needs of people with epilepsy (PWE). Additionally, the program will deepen knowledge of self-management in PWE and contribute to the center for disease control and prevention-funded managing epilepsy well (MEW) network. The evidence-based program, self-management for people with epilepsy and a history of negative health events (SMART), has been demonstrated to reduce epilepsy-related complications and improve quality of life and physical and mental health functioning for people with epilepsy. Research has shown these outcomes to continue post-program, with improved quality of life and reduced seizure count maintained at one-year post-program completion. The coalition will focus its efforts on recruiting and enrolling individuals in the SMART program who often lack awareness and access to resources. This includes transition-age young adults (age 18-24 years) with epilepsy and individuals with epilepsy residing in appalachian and rural communities. The project will achieve the following outcomes:?increase the number of PWE completing evidence-based self-management programs.?improve health outcomes for PWE participatin G in the SMART program.?increase engagement of young adults with epilepsy and PWE residing in rural communities.?increase the number of PWE referred to epilepsy-focused or other community-based services, self-management programs, and/or health care providers.?expand the network of multi-sector community-based service providers.?contribute deidentified data to the MEW database to better understand the impact of SMART for PWE.?increase traffic to educational content promoted by awareness and educational campaigns.during each year of the grant period, the project will connect more than 1,000 people with epilepsy to multi-sector partners, provide a minimum of 5,000 referrals, and enroll up to 135 people in the SMART program.