East Meadow-based EPIC Family of Human Service Agencies offers breadth of resources to Long Islanders

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For over six decades, EPIC Family of Human Service Agencies has been a lifeline for individuals facing epilepsy, intellectual disabilities, and mental health challenges — offering personalized care and a supportive community.

The nonprofit organization, headquartered on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, provides comprehensive services to Long Islanders, and its programs focus on improving the quality of life for clients through specialized care, education, and advocacy.

The EPIC Family of Human Service Agencies has three branches: EPIC Long Island, which supports individuals with disabilities; the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island; and the South Shore Guidance Center, a mental health and behavioral clinic located in Freeport.

Lisa Burch, chief executive and president of the EPIC Family, said it operates a day habilitation center at its East Meadow location, which welcomes about 150 people daily  who come from either EPIC’s residential homes or the community in general. EPIC also operates a clinic that provides occupational, physical, and speech therapy as well as other services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

The South Shore Guidance Center offers family therapy, individual therapy, mental health clinics, and behavioral counseling.

“And we do a lot of work in the local community with young people,” Burch added, “providing support services, enrichment services and just coordinated community mental health services.”

Each year, EPIC works with the East Meadow Fire Department, who provides a safety program for individuals with disabilities.

“I don’t know anybody who doesn’t love sitting in a fire truck,” Burch said. “It’s one of those things that we love — and our folks love it too. The main goal, regardless of anybody’s ability, they should know how to stay safe. The fire department does a great job in providing that information.”

The fire department visited EPIC Long Island this year on Oct. 2, for an afternoon of fun, safety, and learning.

Burch said EPIC teaches the individuals it serves to recognize the “right helpers” — people like police officers and firefighters they know to trust. The program with the fire department further helps with that familiarization, she explained.

“Some folks are living on their own, or they’re living in their parents’ or family’s home, depending on their ability,” she said. “So, it’s important for them to recognize who’s coming to help.”

EPIC, Burch said, stands for “Extraordinary People In Care” — and the reach of its services grew out of its work with the epilepsy community.

“We provide education, we do training and certification for people in seizure safety, seizure first response,” Burch said of its epilepsy branch, “reaching thousands of people annually, providing support, guidance, resources and information.”

Irene Rodgers, the associate executive director of development and epilepsy services with EPIC, said the likelihood of witnessing someone having a seizure is remarkably high — which are not always caused by epilepsy, a brain disease that causes seizures, or episodes of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

“One in 10 people will experience a seizure in their lifetime,” she said. “It’s very important to know what to do when you see someone having a seizure, recognizing the signs and symptoms of seizures, and then also how to help a person after they have had a seizure.”

Some people may experience a seizure and quickly be able to continue normal life activities, while other seizures may require medical attention, Rodgers said.

“There are so many other types of seizures and syndromes,” she said. “Some are very subtle. It could be where someone is appearing to just daydream and not be aware of their surroundings, and then they’re right back to whatever they are doing. So, seizures can have a wide range of symptoms — they can have a wide range of impact on the individual and their day-to-day functioning.”

The Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island offers educational resources, free of charge, to individuals with epilepsy in need of information, referrals for doctors, or advocacy in sectors of their life. It also provides generalized informational programs for the public to learn more about seizures and epileptic conditions.

Because services are free, Rodgers said they rely heavily on donations and fundraising activities — and the organization’s largest one is coming up this weekend. The 13th annual Walk to End Epilepsy is slated for Oct. 19 in Eisenhower Park, at Parking Field 1 off Merrick Avenue. Check in starts at 9 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m. The foundation hopes to raise $100,000 and spread epilepsy awareness.

“People can see there is such a sense of community, which oftentimes people who are living with epilepsy feel alone, isolated,” Rodgers said. “When everyone comes together in the park, it’s just a great feeling — a feeling of community, of support.”

Despite EPIC’s various sectors, everything is connected, Burch said.

“You might come to us as a person with epilepsy, looking for resources, but if you’re struggling with mental health — we have that too,” she said. “There’s this wholeness to what we do, and I think that’s what makes us really special and unique.” 

EPIC Long Island and the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island are located at 1500 Hempstead Turnpike, East meadow. For more on the organization, its services, and the upcoming walk, visit EPICLI.org.