PROVIDENCE – Epilepsy Foundation New England has received a nearly $1.4 million Public Health AmeriCorps grant from AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The grant will allow the EFNE AmeriCorps program to expand its presence and recruit up to 56 members, who will serve as epilepsy resource room coordinators in centers across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut.
“We are thrilled about the 2023 grant award. I joined EFNE because of the innovation that the AmeriCorps program represents, and it’s incredibly exciting to be partnering for a second year,” Jeff Ganz, chief operating officer of EFNE, said in a statement. “With this grant, EFNE will be increasing the number of AmeriCorps members on our team so that we can provide critical resources to more people living with epilepsy in New England.”
According to EFNE, there are epilepsy programs at both Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.
Epilepsy Foundation was one of more than 100 organizations that received a grant as part of an approximate $90 million in grants nationwide in spring 2023. In Massachusetts, 11 organizations received a grant, including the National Network of Public Health Institutes, which received a $287,477 grant for its Public Health AmeriCorps program, and OCHIN Inc., which received $720,000.
At the National Network of Public Health Institutes, AmeriCorps members will provide climate and health communications by creating social media campaigns and connecting communities and organizations to social services. At OCHIN, members will support public health departments and federally qualified health centers across Massachusetts, as well as Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and Wisconsin, as they work to reduce the impact of COVID-19.
“As we celebrate the one-year mark of Public Health AmeriCorps, we have seen the indelible impact AmeriCorps members have made in the communities they serve. This year, I am honored to announce more than $90 million in grants to bolster public health systems and create a healthier, more equitable America,” said Michael D. Smith, AmeriCorps CEO. “This funding will support more than 4,000 AmeriCorps members who will add capacity to our strained public health systems and reduce barriers to care, while we also create career pathways for future public health leaders from all backgrounds.”
Public Health AmeriCorps is supported by a five-year, $400 million investment from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Claudia Chiappa is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Chiappa@PBN.com.
