500 new intakes were facilitated for individuals post stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and other neurological and complex medical conditions. Services were provided in the areas of rehabilitation referrals, care navigation, case management, medical advocacy, educational advocacy, crisis intervention, education and support.

60% of the individuals assisted by BINA were children from birth to adolescence and young adults.

800 families, encompassing thousands of individuals, received critical services from BINA staff.

4 ongoing support groups moderated by a licensed therapist.

BINA is pleased to announce a monthly Zoom meeting for families recently affected by a stroke, TBI or spinal injury. The meeting will take place on the first Wednesday of every month at 12:00 p.m., hosted by Elchanan Schwarz LMHC, BINA's Director of Crisis Intervention and Crisis Support.

The meeting will provide an educational overview of brain injury and what to expect during the recovery and rehabilitation process. A Q&A will follow the presentation.

Registration is required by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the meeting and all close family members (18 and up) are welcome.

The first session will take place on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Please click here to register.

BINA continues to host support groups for brain injury survivors and for caregivers including spouses and parents. Groups are held both in-person and via Zoom and are a valuable source of professional counseling, peer support and information-sharing.

Participants report that they have benefited immensely and feel greatly supported and heard by the facilitators and fellow group members.

Please call or email to to inquire about support group enrollment opportunities.

Dr. Richard Waxman of Columbia is providing family support services at BINA to assist in the process of adapting to the changes caused by these conditions.

Currently, family caregivers are offered a psychoeducational workshop in 5-7 sessions to give the caregiver a better understanding of brain injury and provide behavioral and cognitive management tools to help improve care.  

New groups are currently being formed; for more information please contact us by email or call the BINA office.

BINA is in the process of developing an innovative partnership with the Dean - Hope Center of Education and Psychological Services, the primary training clinic for the clinical psychology doctoral program at Teachers College Columbia University.

The goal of the program is to facilitate timely access to comprehensive and culturally sensitive Neuropsychology services for adult patients and their families who are struggling with the multiple sequelae of acquired and degenerative brain injury.

Services provided will include neuropsychological assessment, cognitive rehabilitation, behavior management, supportive and behavioral psychotherapy and family caregiver training. These services will be provided by clinical doctoral trainees supervised by NYS licensed psychologists with expertise in the area who are also Teachers College/Columbia University faculty.

The program is supervised by a licensed psychologist and has proven a highly beneficial delivery model which increases accessibility and access to care. The program is also a valuable training opportunity for graduate students training in neuropsychology in the unique model of providing neuropsychological services in a community-based setting. Please call BINA for more information.

A series of webinars has been hosted by BINA for the community at large, presented by leading specialists in a variety of fields.

A two-part series on vision is planned for January 11 and 18. The first, "Brain Injury and Vision: What You Need to Know," will be presented by leading neuro-optometrist Drs. Daniella Rutner and Marianna Butera of State University of New York College of Optometry-University Eye Center on Wednesday, January 11 at 8:00 p.m. (register here).

A webinar on Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) in Children will take place on Wednesday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m., presented by Jonathan Graves, a renowned Teacher of the Visually Impaired from The Children's Home in Pittsburgh (register here).

Past topics have included Estate Planning, A Comprehensive Overview of Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Pediatric Upper Limb Rehabilitation, Integrative Rehab, Coping with Change Following a Brain Injury, Cognition in Pediatric Brain Injury, and long-Covid recovery. Recordings of all webinars are available here.

BINA also collaborated with Olivia Lambert, DaiWai Olson, and the team at University of Texas Southwestern to produce educational videos on the topics of "Welcome to the ICU" and "Overview of ICP (Increased Intracranial Pressure)". The videos can be viewed here.



Please send us an email to be notified of future webinars and other BINA news.

Our Educational Advocacy program, originally launched last year, has proven to fill a critical need for children returning to school in the aftermath of a brain injury. Shani Ehrenpreis, PhD, Director, has guided 25 children through the critical and complex return-to-school process during her time at BINA.

Dr. Ehrenpreis has developed key relationships with schools and brain injury professionals to identify the optimal educational setting and to work with all parties to put the necessary accommodations in place to ensure the child's success.

BINA created a new department to assist patients and families with the complex rehabilitation process for spinal injuries, including SCI (spinal cord injury), and spinal surgeries and cancers. Referrals and guidance are also provided for a range of related diagnoses that are treated on spinal units such as Guillain Barre Syndrome and transverse myelitis.



This initiative has expanded the reach of our services beyond the core focus of acquired brain injury (including stroke and traumatic brain injury). Mrs. Channa Leibowitz, a speech therapist with expertise in medical rehabilitation, has made great strides in developing a national referral network of leading physicians, therapists and facilities and has assisted dozens of patients, both children and adults, with their rehabilitation needs following a spinal or related injury.

For several years, Teaching and Training International (TTI)'s Department of Speech Pathology in collaboration with BINA, has led an Aphasia and Neurogenic Disorders Clinic for individuals with aphasia following a stroke, brain injury or other acquired neurological condition.

The clinic provides treatment, training and support via interactive, stimulating and functionally driven activities and is facilitated by graduate students under the supervision of Ms. Stacey Emmer, Director of Speech at TTI, who specializes in the assessment and treatment of clients with acquired brain injury.  

The participants receive therapy, recreation and peer support at a nominal fee. The clinic is a valuable opportunity to improve speech, cognitive and language needs in a community based setting.

For more information, contact Ms. Emmer at 718-938-5412.