Neurologists Unite for Ukraine: A Grassroots Initiative
Abstract number :
2.396
Submission category :
17. Public Health
Year :
2022
Submission ID :
2205164
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/4/2022 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2022, 05:27 AM
Authors :
Agnieszka Kielian, MD – Boston Children's Hospital; Aristides Hadjinicolaou, MD – Boston Children's Hospital; Danielle Friedman, MSN, CPNP, CNRN – Boston Children's Hospital; Irina Anselm, MD – Boston Children's Hospital; Anna Minster, MD – Boston Children's Hospital; Alex Paciorkowski, MD – University of Rochester Medical Center; Yuliya Snyder, MD – Rochester Regional Health; Alina Ivaniuk, MD – Cleveland Clinic; Svetlana Faktorovich, MD – Boca Raton Regional Health Center; Olha Tychkivska, MD – Saint Nicholas Lviv City Children's Hospital; Elaine Wirrell, MD – Mayo Clinic; Christina Briscoe Abath, MD – Boston Children's Hospital
Rationale: Before the war in Ukraine, there were 250,000 people with epilepsy living in the country. Following the devastating outbreak of the war, multitudes of people found themselves at the forefront of horrors of war. For people with epilepsy, limited access to medications placed them at additional risk for serious injury and death. While many international humanitarian organizations and governmental agencies worked on critical access to food, shelter, medical supplies, and other essential items, the anti-seizure medications and other neurological medications were not prioritized. We aimed to provide immediate medications and supplies to people with epilepsy living in Ukraine.
Methods: Utilizing social media and professional connections to promote the cause, we joined forces with colleagues from around the country to help address care for vulnerable patients with epilepsy in Ukraine. We formed the Ukrainian Neurology Initiative, a grassroots collaboration with the goal of catalyzing response for getting anti-seizure medications to our pediatric epileptologist colleagues in Lviv for distribution. Our efforts have been predominantly focused on coordination and logistics between individuals and organizations who would like to donate anti-seizure medications and our colleagues on the ground.
Results: We partnered with a local pediatric epileptologist in Lviv, Ukraine, as well as Brother’s Brother Foundation, and have successfully delivered medications worth thousands of dollars, EEG machine, and VNS tablet and wand. These medications were then distributed to patients and other hospitals throughout Ukraine. Additionally, our group created a seizure resource guide, which has since been widely distributed with our collaborators on the ILAE Task Force geared at addressing the crisis in Ukraine. To date, we have collectively raised $225,000 (as of June 1, 2022), of which about $70,000 worth of medications and supplies have already arrived in Lviv and were distributed to other parts of the war-torn country.
Conclusions: Grassroot movements can serve as catalysts for aid when unanticipated needs arise, particularly in the time of war. Recognizing that things can change quickly in conflict zones, a dynamic model to address local needs as they arise can lead to effective and timely response. Through this effort we hope to continue advocating for prioritization of care for people with neurological disorders. We also hope that this effort will serve both as a roadmap for future efforts, and as a new moral standard for how child neurologists can respond to humanitarian crises in the future.
Funding: Not applicable
Public Health