A Statewide Model of Regional Brain Injury Resource Centers

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A Statewide Model of Regional Brain Injury
Resource Centers

• Anne McDonnell, OTR/L
• Special Projects Director
• Brain Injury Association of Virginia

CNI Project 02-226
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Executive Summary

• The Brain Injury Association of Virginia, the
  Department of Rehabilitative Services and the
  Medical College of Virginia collaborated to
  conduct the most comprehensive outreach effort
  ever done in Virginia to the brain injury
  community
• The state-wide needs assessment for people with
  brain injury and their families occurred from
  1999-2000 it included nineteen town meetings
  (attracting over 650 people) and a written survey
  (distributed to over 10,000 survivors and
  caregivers)
• Education, awareness, outreach and advocacy were
  identified as priorities in Virginias Statewide
  Needs Assessment and subsequent TBI Action Plan
• This project was conceived to fulfill the need to
  provide resources and assistance in underserved
  areas of the state (Roanoke/Danville/Martinsville
  and Hampton Roads area)
• Used to leverage federal TBI Act grant
  application enabled us to establish additional
  regional resources centers in unserved areas of
  the state (far Southwestern Virginia, the
  Shenandoah Valley and the Fredericksburg/Middle
  Peninsula/Northern Neck area)

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Significant Accomplishments

• Over the last three year, approximately 50,000
  individuals received information about brain
  injury through the activities of the central
  office staff and regional resource coordinators
• At least 5000 people have attended over 75
  presentations done by the Regional Resource
  Coordinators (RRC) and the Project Director
• Development and nationwide distribution of high
  quality projects
• Pediatric Brain Injury and the Schools Best
  Practices for Primary and Secondary Education
• Advocacy Academy
• Domestic Violence Tip cards
• Policymakers Manual
• Numerous (20) television and newspaper stories
  in both RRC areas and Richmond
• Appointments to the local Disability Service
  Boards, Human Rights Councils, Human Services
  Commissions, Special Education Advisory
  committee, and Virginia Brain Injury Council

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Project Goals

• Increase public awareness and understanding of
  brain injury
• Utilized BIAV newsletter, articles in newspapers
  and other newsletters, presentations,
  in-services, conferences, workshops, website,
  support groups, service on committees and
  coalition groups, television interviews and radio
  PSAs in all locations, golf tournaments, health
  fairs, posters
• Collaborated with other stakeholders and the
  Roanoke Express Hockey Team to distribute over
  3000 brain injury tip cards at a home games
  series
• Transcending Brain Injury conference in Roanoke
  and Opening Doors in Richmond

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Project Goals

• Increase knowledge among people with brain injury
  and their families about the disability maximize
  their use of existing support programs and
  services empower them to be better advocates for
  their needs
• Served on VA Department of Medical Assistance
  Services work group for a Medicaid Real System
  Change Infrastructure grant that developed a
  statewide road map of services and supports for
  persons with disabilities
• Developed and conducted training program for
  survivors, caregivers and advocates on self and
  systems advocacy
• Grant staff have taken on leadership roles and/or
  enhanced support groups in Danville, Virginia
  Beach, Richmond, and the Roanoke and New River
  Valleys
• Continued increases in IR calls to BIAV

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Project Goals

• Increase knowledge among professionals and
  service providers about the needs of people with
  brain injury and their families
• Domestic violence counselors
• Community Services Boards
• Occupational Therapy students at the Medical
  College of Virginia, medical students at Eastern
  Virginia Medical School and the University of
  Virginia, nursing students at Old Dominion
  University, counseling and social work students
  at Radford University, education and social work
  students at Virginia Commonwealth University
• School nurses at annual statewide conference
• Hospital therapy staff in areas served by the
  RRCs and Project Director
• Special Education Directors, teachers, coaches,
  therapists, psychologists, nurses, social workers
  and instructional assistants in public schools
  across the state
• Community College staff
• Mental health agency staff
• Homeless shelters
• Civic organizations
• YWCA
• Virginia Chapter of Case Management Society of
  America
• Virginia Association of Rehabilitation
  Professionals
• Adult day care providers
• Adult and Pediatric Brain Injury Case Managers

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Project Goals

• Increase the number of professionals and service
  providers serving people with brain injury
• Brain injury day program Martinsville
• In collaboration with Neuropsychology Department
  at MCV, developed regional trainings for
  professionals designed to increase comfort with
  and willingness to treat persons with BI
• Requires infrastructure, resources, and time
• Difficult to know if existing providers of
  services to other disability populations have
  increased the numbers of persons with BI that
  they serve
• Also difficult to increase number of providers
  when no funding stream for services exists

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Project Goals

• Maximize the probability of survivors living
  happily and productively in their community
• Educated policymakers about needs of BI community
  during last year's General Assembly and helped
  facilitate turnout and testimony at local budget
  hearings
• Are actively working the Disability Commission,
  legislators and policymakers, VA Departments of
  Rehabilitative Services and Medical Assistance
  Services to develop and obtain funding for a BI
  waiver
• Involved with numerous state and local
  initiatives VA Department of Health taskforce
  for the Health Promotion for Persons with
  Disabilities, Olmstead workgroup, Real Systems
  Change grant, Virginia Brain Injury Council,
  Virginia Alliance of Service Providers, DD waiver
  workgroup
• Have identified persons with brain injury and
  family members from across the state for
  nomination to boards, councils, workgroups and
  taskforces

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Project Goals

• Develop sources of support to sustain the
  services provided through the grant
• Created Policymakers manual delivered to
  legislator's in their home offices by BIAV staff,
  survivors, caregivers and advocates
• Regent University created a documentary on Camp
  Bruce McCoy the video has tremendous potential
  to call attention to brain injury and the need
  for funds to help the organization fulfill its
  responsibilities
• Continuing to pursue other fund development
  opportunities
• Expanding database for fundraising efforts
• Legislative advocacy resulted in new money being
  appropriated in state budget for brain injury
  services

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Lessons Learned

• Information Technology costs and needs changed
  significantly
• Regular maintenance and trouble shooting
• Database development
• Providing staff with the appropriate equipment
  and training
• Linking the regional staff into the network
• Obtaining software licensing
• Replacing the server
• The amount of time other BIAV staff would spend
  on grant activities was underestimated
• Communication systems had to be enhanced
• RRC positions are well received and appreciated,
  but many consumers expect case management
  services

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Challenges Faced

• Human Resources Management
• Became far more time consuming and complicated
  than it had previously been because of the
  increased number of employees, the geographic
  distribution of offices, health insurance issues,
  and workers comp claims
• Extended absence of one employee was problematic
  difficult to hire temporary employee for
  positions. Sub-contracted a part-time employee
  from co-location partner to attend to the
  essential position functions
• Finance
• The fiscal reports became much more time
  consuming and complicated
• Tracking revenue and expenses also became far
  more complicated due simply to the increased
  volume
• Financial management systems required a near
  complete overhaul

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An Unqualified Success
With a presence in the Roanoke Hampton Roads
areas, BIAV has been able to

• Raise public awareness
• Work directly with local chapters and support
  groups to expand and improve their efforts
• Foster development and expansion of programs and
  services
• Help educate staff at existing programs
• Provide one-on-one assistance to survivors and
  caregivers
• Assist survivors and their families in becoming
  successful self- and systems advocates
• Educate policymakers about the needs of survivors
  and family members, and advocate for increased
  funding for services