2021 is finally here! Like all of us at the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, I am sure you have been looking forward to the time when things can return to normal, or at least a new normal. As I write from Los Angeles County, even with the vaccine on the horizon, we have a long way to go before we can begin to relax and feel safe. And, across the Country, for the SCI community, the need to stay safe and concerns about obtaining essentials continue to grow.
In an effort to help, the Foundation has launched Pandemic Support Grants. Funding through this invitational program is intended to directly support the provision of services to those living with SCI and their caregivers to relieve the stress of this health crisis. Organizations that have an established relationship with the Foundation were invited to apply with the hope that they are able to readily address needs of persons with SCI.
Pandemic Support Grants will focus on one or more of the following areas:
- Organizing, providing access to, and increasing engagement in tele-support and remote peer-support programs and services
- Increasing access for people with SCI, for example, providing accessible transportation or technology to access online content
- Support in finding and accessing personal assistants, other homecare services, and providers
- Provision and distribution of medications, medical supplies, and/or home healthcare by qualified provider organizations
- Provision of food, household supplies, PPE, and other necessities, especially with home-delivery.
By partnering with organizations that can rapidly mobilize to provide immediate services and needed materials, we hope to relieve some of the enduring stress caused by the pandemic.
Please stay safe, remain vigilant, and wear a mask.
All my best,
Kym Eisner
Executive Director
Craig H. Neilsen Foundation
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