Rochester, NY — A local organization supporting people with epilepsy is raising concerns about recent staffing cuts at the CDC.For Sharry Gibbs' 13-year-old so
Through Empowering Peoples' Independence, Sharry Gibbs' son Ian was able to attend "Camp Eager," in the company of other children with epilepsy. Rochester, N.Y. — A local organization supporting people with epilepsy is raising concerns about recent staffing cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
For Sharry Gibbs' 13-year-old son Ian, living with generalized epilepsy has been a significant challenge since his childhood diagnosis. "It's a very big curve ball. It's a club that nobody wants to be a part of. It really turns your entire life upside down," said Gibbs.Through Empowering People's Independence , Ian has accessed transformative experiences, including attending Camp Eager, where he learned to swim and engaged with peers also living with epilepsy. "Camp Eager gave him a place where he could just be a kid. He walked in, he didn't bring a seizure monitor. No phones, you know? He just got to go hang out with friends, sleep away from home, which is something he wasn't doing at home because people were afraid of his seizures," Gibbs said. However, EPI is now facing potential funding challenges. Epilepsy Alliance America, a partner of EPI, reports that recent layoffs at the CDC have affected grant funding oversight. "Part of the cuts that are being made by the Department of government efficiency have impacted the CDC very hard, all the different programs, specifically with the Epilepsy Program, they've pretty much wiped out all of the staff that are there," said Jeff Sinsebox, President of EPI."So for us in the short term, it won't harm us, but for the national epilepsy community, this is a devastating blow," he said. The potential loss of funding raises concerns about long-term instability. For Gibbs and her family, the support from EPI has been life-changing. "The thought of somebody having to go through what we went through, without having the support system that EPI provides, is heart-wrenching," Gibbs said. An estimated 2,400 employees are expected to be laid off from the CDC as part of a sweeping overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Epilepsy Support Programs Funding Cdc Staffing Cuts Seizures Families Local Epi
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