We're Celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month

For more than 30 years, March has been designated as Brain Injury Awareness Month. The Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska VR, is proud to be a part of this annual celebration. It is an opportunity to promote the supports and services available to people living with brain injury in Nebraska and celebrate the work being done to improve the lives of individuals and their families. Nebraska VR is one of 28 recipients of a five-year cooperative agreement from the Administration for Community Living. The funding is being used to create and strengthen systems of services and supports that maximize the independence, health, and well-being of individuals with brain injuries, their family members, and support networks Nebraska VR’s goals include: Increasing culturally diverse and rural membership on the statewide Brain Injury Advisory Council. Enhancing the state’s Resource Facilitation program by piloting a surveillance-based service delivery model in the Nebraska VR employment program. Making Peer to Peer Supports available for individuals with brain injury and their families across the state. Increasing the number of mailings to individuals in the state who experience a brain injury or concussion and are listed on the Nebraska Health and Human Services Traumatic Brain Injury Registry. Materials help to connect individuals and their families to resources close to home and are age-related, including brain injury support groups, school, employment, and senior services.

4 Ways to join us in the celebration. . . Nebraska Brain Injury Conference Connect. Learn. Be Inspired, March 17-18 (virtual) TBI Stakeholder Day, Tuesday March 8, 2022, 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sessions will feature Survivor Engagement Strategies, Domestic Violence and the Effect on Children, Effective Partnerships with Behavioral Health with a Focus on Suicide, and Effective Strategies for Using and Leveraging Data. Issues of equity and intersectionality will be woven into each session. Additionally, participants will also hear from leaders at The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) and other federal partners. ACL is in the process of finalizing the agenda. There is no cost to attend. The webinar will be live-captioned and ASL-interpreted. If you require additional accommodations to participate or if you have any questions about the sessions, please contact [email protected]. Register for the event Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Awareness Briefing: Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Co-chairs Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) and Don Bacon (R-NE) invite you to a virtual Brain Injury Awareness Day Briefing on the importance and value of advocacy, March 16, 1:30-3:30. Attendance is free, registration is required. The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) has developed materials and resources you can use and share to help promote brain injury.

Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) receives federal traumatic brain injury (TBI) grant funds from the Administration for Community Living to build a system of services and supports that maximize the independence, well-being and health of persons with brain injuries.  This project was supported, in part by grant number 90TBSG0073-01-00, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.