Epilepsy Durham Region

I confess, COVID-19 is crushing us, so many of our vulnerable folks need us desperately.  I just attended a survey review  by the Ontario NFP Network who reports dire stats with regards to our sector.  I’m watching our sector being decimated by complete loss of  funding.     

Epilepsy Durham Region (EDR) is an innovative, progressive charitable organization dedicated to fostering a safe and healthy community by enhancing and supporting the well-being of adults, children, youth, and families affected by epilepsy. As a registered non-profit, EDR provides tailored support to strengthen clients’ ability to manage the physical, psychological, and social effects of epilepsy, with extensive expertise in system navigation, advocacy, and mental health concerns.

Epilepsy Quick Facts:

• 1 in 100 people have epilepsy; of those 1 in 1000 will lose their life to a seizure, or 1 in 150 if seizures are uncontrolled
• When access to appropriate care is available, people with epilepsy are 51% less likely to die as a result of a seizure – EDR’s clinic allows people to access specialized care locally

COVID-19 has changed the face of normal, particularly those living with a chronic illness. Currently, it has impacted how individuals receive life-saving medications, and how they can access both critical and primary care.

Epilepsy Durham Region, like many charities, has been impacted significantly by the current pandemic; we are volunteer and fundraising event driven, and we receive neither government or United Way funding to support the programs utilized by so many. We have lost all sources of our revenue, and not unlike so many others, we have had no income since the state of emergency has been declared. Our expenses have remained the same, the request for help from our community has increased, and we have not reduced our staff hours nor laid off our staff.  While this crisis has compounding effects on our ability to continue to offer service, EDR is balancing how to best provide remote service to our clients while also aggressively working towards sustaining operation.