Cooperative Agreement NU58DP006981

IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH EQUITY FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH EPILEPSY THROUGH MULTI-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS IN MA, ME, NH, AND RI - EPILEPSY FOUNDATION NEW ENGLAND?S (EFNE) EQOL PROJECT, ?IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH EQUITY FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH EPILEPSY THROUGH MULTI-SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS,? WILL STRENGTHEN THE HEALTH SYSTEM AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH EPILEPSY IN MA, ME, NH, AND RI ? ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH UNCONTROLLED SEIZURES ? BY ADVANCING 1:1 CARE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR 1,000 PEOPLE PER YEAR IN EPILEPSY RESOURCE ROOMS AT 11 EPILEPSY CENTERS AND 4 EFNE OFFICES (SPREADING TO COMMUNITY HOSPITALS AND NEUROLOGISTS IN YEARS 3 AND BEYOND) BY (A) IMPLEMENTING AN ELECTRONIC, MULTIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION, DATA COLLECTION, AND REFERRAL SYSTEM TO SUPPORT CLIENTS' PHYSICAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND SOCIAL NEEDS' ECOSYSTEMS; (B) BUILDING DATA-DRIVEN LINKAGES FOR PATIENTS BETWEEN CLINICAL SERVICES AND A REPOSITORY OF USEFUL COMMUNITY SERVICES, SOCIALIZATION PROGRAMS, AND SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS; AND (C) EQUIPPING RESOURCE ROOM COORDINATORS WITH CARE MANAGEMENT AND BASIC SOCIAL WORK SKILLS, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER TRAINING, AND INFORMATION/REFERRAL RESOURCES, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO QUALIFY PATIENTS FOR SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. EQOL WILL INCREASE (1) NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH EPILEPSY COMPLETING EVIDENCE-BASED EPILEPSY-SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS; (2) REPORTING, MONITORING, AND TRACKING OF CLINICAL DATA BY HEALTH SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE IDENTIFICATION, MANAGEMENT, AND TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH UNCONTROLLED SEIZURES; AND (3) REFERRALS TO COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES, SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, AND/OR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. THE PROJECT LEVERAGES $750,000/YEAR IN AMERICORPS FUNDING THAT SUPPORTS 40 EPILEPSY RESOURCE ROOM COORDINATORS. EQOL IS ALIGNED WITH THE EPILEPSY LEARNING HEALTH SYSTEM, WHICH IT BOTH LEVERAGES AND ENHANCES. EQOL WILL IMPROVE THE ECOSYSTEM FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH EPILEPSY BY CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH EFNE?S SOCIAL SUPPORTS AND RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS, WITH SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, AND WITH COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL PROGRAMS THROUGH DOCUMENTED REFERR ALS. EQOL WILL ADDRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY BY IDENTIFYING RESOURCES IN THE ECOSYSTEM IN WHICH PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY LIVE, LEARN, WORK, PLAY, WORSHIP, AND AGE THAT AFFECT A WIDE RANGE OF HEALTH, FUNCTIONING, AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES, INCLUDING UNCOVERING UNDERUTILIZED RESOURCES. EQOL IS A MULTISECTOR PARTNERSHIP WITH SUPPORT FROM PEOPLE LIVING WITH EPILEPSY, EVERY EPILEPSY CENTER IN THE EFNE REGION (MA, ME, NH, AND RI), EF OF AMERICA AND OTHER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND MULTIPLE COMMUNITY PARTNERS. EQOL IS A ?COMPONENT B? APPLICATION ADDRESSING STRATEGIES 3 AND 4.