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State Contract for Case Management Services
Crossroads was awarded a $144,966 contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia which will allow the organization to continue providing Case Management Services for survivors of brain injury in the Central Shenandoah Valley. The funding for this program are state general funds administered by the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, and the contract will run from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010 with an option to renew for up to two additional years.
Case Management is a process by which individuals are connected to resources and services in the community. Crossroads’ Executive Director, Michelle Witt said, “Often, an individual or family is left to navigate a complex, frustrating and disjointed system once they return home from the hospital or rehab setting. They have recovered from life-threatening injuries only to discover that they have new sets of obstacles and challenges to face such as re-learning activities of daily living, returning to school or work, or managing their finances.”
Unlike other disabilities, brain injuries can often be invisible as an individual may appear in good physical condition; however, they may be dealing with short term memory loss, difficulties with organization and concentration, speech and communication disorders, fatigue and many other disabling conditions. For some, it may take months or years to return to school or work meaning a loss of income, loss of insurance and even homelessness. That is where Crossroads to Brain Injury Recovery comes in!
Crossroads’ Case Managers research, advocate and link survivors to needed resources and services in their home communities. Case Managers work closely with survivors and their caregivers to assess needs, identify goals and develop an action plan to reach those goals.
“The work of a Case Manager is intensely intimate in that we go into people’s homes and discuss their most personal issues. Many clients are struggling with issues related to grief and loss in addition to cognitive and physical changes,” says Crossroads’ Case Manager Candice Clayton.
The contract with the state provides the core funding for Crossroads’ Case Management program. “We are grateful for the award and honored that the state is willing to make this investment in our program. We are delighted to continue to serve our community,” says Witt.
Putting Our Heads Together For Brain Injury
Crossroads was also the recipient of a Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative (CNI) Trust Fund grant totaling $267,240 for Putting Our Heads Together for Brain Injury. This project will assess our local community’s ability to respond to the emergent needs of survivors of brain injury. Through this project, Crossroads aims to understand the real and perceived barriers to accessing appropriate and timely services. The project will also assess the educational needs of service providers and identify potential models that may be adapted for use here in the Shenandoah Valley and across the Commonwealth.
CBIR Board President, Dr. Cynthia O’Donoghue stated, “We are honored to receive this award and recognize that it will further our organization’s mission to improve the quality of life for those affected by brain injury by ensuring that survivors and their caregivers have the information, resources and services they need. The projected outcomes for this three-year project should yield improvements to brain injury crisis intervention services both regionally and statewide.”
The goal of this project is to build the capacity of our local community to better respond to survivors of brain injury who are in crisis (at risk of harm to self or others). The project is also designed to dove-tail with the work of a state-level work group appointed by Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services Commissioner James Rothrock and Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (formerly DMHMRSAS) Commissioner James Reinhart, M.D. This work group was appointed to investigate barriers to accessing services that survivors may face when in crisis. Additionally this project may incorporate aspects of serving veterans with TBI and PTSD as it is anticipated that many may seek community-based services once they return home.
About the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund
The Commonwealth of Virginia is committed to improving the treatment and care of Virginians with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries. Through the establishment of the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative (CNI) Trust Fund, administered by a governor-appointed Advisory Board, funds are available to Virginia-based organizations, institutions and researchers to address the needs of people with acquired neurotrauma. The Advisory Board disburses CNI funds through a grant application process for research proposals and innovative community-based rehabilitation programs.
Learning To Stay Alive
Shocking Death Of Natasha Richardson Not The Last Word On Brain Injuries
About 5½ years ago, Anne Thomas was entering her workplace when she took a wrong step, fell backward and hit her head.
Thomas, a Harrisonburg resident, was living in Lynchburg at the time and was running late for work. As she hurried into the building, she stepped on a landscaping tie, which gave way and sent her tumbling onto her head.
Brain Injury Survivor Speaks Out
Brain injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in people under the age 45. March is also recognized as Brain Injury Awareness Month in Virginia.
A local survivor shares her story of coping after a severe head injury. Her daily walk is now therapeutic, but for Anne Thomas, it's taken a while to get back to this point.
Brain Injury Recovery:
Navigating the MIND Fields Conference a Success!
Thank you to everyone who participated and attended Brain Injury Recovery: Navigating the MIND Fields conference on Saturday, September 27, 2008. The one-day conference was held at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA and was designed to bring together survivors of brain injury, their caregivers and professionals who serve them to share and learn about resources available in our community.
More than 75 people participated in the conference, including 13 exhibitors and 11 presenters. Presentation topics included a keynote address from Cara Adkins Biller and Darlene Spitler on Cara’s journey from Coma to College. Other presentations included:
- The Universe Between Our Ears and the Neurobehavioral Problem by Dr. Paul Aravich, Eastern Virginia Medical School;
- What Can Special Needs Trusts Do for You? By Mr. Matthew Sunderlin, Clark & Bradshaw;
- Advocacy and Self-Advocacy by Ms. Anne McDonnell, Brain Injury Association of Virginia;
- Brain Injury Clubhouses in Virginia by Ms. Leigh Wion of the Highstreet Clubhouse in Charlottesville and Mrs. Juanita Thornton of the Phoenix Star Clubhouse in Roanoke;
- Applying for SSI and SSDI by Mr. Ned Sledge, Social Security Administration, and Mr. Rich McConche, Disability Determination Services;
- Neurogenesis and the Potential for Brain Recovery by Dr. Audie Gaddis, Commonwealth Psychological Services; and
- Assistive Technology by Mrs. Kelly Lum, Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.
Exhibitors at the conference included:
- Brain Injury Association of Virginia
- Commonwealth Community Trust
- Commonwealth Psychological Services
- Friendship Industries
- Greater Shenandoah Valley Brain Injury Support Group
- Interim Healthcare
- Lakeview Virginia Neurocare
- M.I.T.S. of Virginia
- Phoenix Star Clubhouse
- Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services – Vocational Rehabilitation
- Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors who made the event possible and include:
- The Greater Shenandoah Valley Brain Injury Support Group,
- Commonwealth Psychological Services, and
- AHC Community Health Foundation.
Lunch at the event was provided courtesy of Texas Steakhouse – Harrisonburg (and it was fantastic!).
Additional in-kind donations were provided by:
- Lash & Associates Publishing
- Ken Schuler
- Costco
- Howard Spangler
- Water Works and
- Martin’s Staunton
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| Northeast Center for Special Care - The latest news and information about brain injury, spinal cord injury, respiratory, ventilator care, rehabilitation and health care Visit us on the web www.northeastcenter.com |
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| 1. Brain Injury Legislative Alert | ||||
| from the Brain Injury Association of America. Currently, the Senate Finance Committee has reached no consensus on major provisions of the anticipated health care overhaul, raising doubts that it will be considered this month. Committee members remain at an impasse in part because members still lack a clear picture of what potential policy choices would cost. |
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| 2. Movement Disorders and TBI Podcast | ||||
| Host: Gerry Brooks, MA, CCC, CBIST Time: 2857 In this program we discuss the different kinds of movement disorders common after an brain injury including risk, severity, and how movement disorders may very with the type of brain injury someone has. Evaluation of movement disorders as well as treatment options are considered in this informative Podcast. |
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| 3. Snoring Associated With Sleep Apnea May Impair Brain Function More Than Previously Thought | ||||
| It has been linked to learning impairment, stroke and premature death. Now UNSW research has found that snoring associated with sleep apnea may impair brain function more than previously thought. |
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| 4. Mystery Solved: Tiny Protein-activator Responsible For Brain Cell Damage In Huntington Disease | ||||
| Johns Hopkins brain scientists have figured out why a faulty protein accumulates in cells everywhere in the bodies of people with Huntington's disease (HD), but only kills cells in the part of the brain that controls movement, causing negligible damage to tissues elsewhere. |
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| 5. SAVE THE DATE: 2009 Mid-Hudson Brain Injury Rehabilitation Conference | ||||
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Northeast Center for Special Care presents the 5th Annual Mid-Hudson Brain Injury Rehabilitation Conference on Thursday October 8, 2009 at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. The theme for this years conference is: Beyond Recovery: Life After TBI. The emphasis in rehabilitation is typically on overcoming the challenges associated with disability. However, some of the most serious challenges confronting the individual--especially in the later stages of recovery--may have less to do with disability than with the human condition itself. The annual Mid-Hudson Brain Injury Rehabilitation Conference is aimed at professionals and clinicians who support Traumatic Brain Injury survivors and has featured world renowned experts in the field of neurorehabilitation. Join the mailing list and receive the conference agenda and registration information when it is published. |
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Brain injured in Va. lack services
Virginians with traumatic brain injuries lack adequate residential facilities, access to therapy, and other services, a report found. Returning war veterans with traumatic brain injuries are likely to further tax the system, too.
Brain-injury recovery at a crossroads
Read the story online:
http://augustafreepress.com/2007/11/22/brain-injury-recovery-at-a-crossroads/
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