Advocacy Through Education
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The Connectors Project, a program launched by the Epilepsy Foundation, is striving to improve the way seizures and epilepsy are diagnosed and treated in underserved communities across the country.
Tested in four states Michigan, Nevada, Oklahoma and West Virginia the project focused on healthcare providers responsible for diagnosis, treatment and referral. Based upon individual needs, training was offered in these states to help educate healthcare workers on advances in research, quality care measures and guidelines for best practices. For example, in West Virginia, the Epilepsy Foundation worked with school nurses. In Michigan, emergency room physicians got updated epilepsy training.
The goal of the Connectors Project is to enhance public health education overall, which could lead to better treatment for those who need it the most. “We have come so far with epilepsy, but we still have much farther to go,” said Terrie Blalock, R.N., the Connectors Project manager. “We have to keep plugging away keep talking about it, keep educating others and keep trying different methods.”
Originally published in EpilepsyAdvocate, Fall 2017.
