The catastrophic Hurricane Harvey may have devastated the southern region of the United States with historic flooding. But Harvey was no match for the overflowing community presence, support, and assistance that outpoured across every city in the nation.

From raising money through fundraisers to offering supplies, housing, and even free rides, Harvey could not stop the spirit and camaraderie of people. Right in our very own backyard, many Central Texas businesses have mobilized to help support victims of Hurricane Harvey.

The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce contacted Tanya Kinney, Development Manager of the Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas. She shares with us how her organization is positively making a difference in the lives of Harvey victims by providing emergency medications to Harvey victims with epilepsy.

Read her story below.

Tanya Kinney

The Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas (EFCST) provides people with epilepsy access to emergency medications as a regular service throughout the year. Usually, the people who receive them are between jobs or have found themselves in exceptional life circumstances.

Due to Hurricane Harvey, some people with epilepsy have come to us from places such as Corpus Christi where buildings were damaged and lives were endangered. These displaced people are starting over again from scratch and are in need of essential services.

One example of this was a family who contacted us with a child on the Texas coast who suffered a severe case of epilepsy. We provided them with a cooling vest and rescue medications.

During these hard times, we have provided individuals with cab fare to get to appointments, provided an overnight stay at motels, and most importantly, access to emergency medications to prevent seizures. People with epilepsy do not pay for the services they receive from us.

We provide medical clinics for the uninsured for people who have no other alternative to take care of their epilepsy. Some of these individuals are scheduled to receive medical care through our medical clinics.

EFCST is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of people with epilepsy in its area. When donors give to EFCST, these are the types of valuable services they are making possible.

For ways on how you can join us, visit our website at efcst.org.

*Photo provided by Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas. Pictured right is Olga Tristan-Rangel, EFCST patient specialist, helping a client at a medical clinic held September 11 in San Antonio.

To help support hurricane relief efforts, this article is one in a series of blogs from the Austin Chamber on how members can help people impacted by the recent hurricane. 

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