We are excited to announce that CBIRT has a new opportunity that continues our work to positively impact the lives of individuals with brain injuries and their families! Our latest project, the TBI System of Support for Kids (TBI SOS 4 Kids) Model is sponsored through Toyota's Way Forward Fund.
The project aims to address challenges in pediatric TBI care by implementing and evaluating the effects of the TBI SOS 4 Kids model. The model has four components: (1) establishing a brain injury education support team, (2) brain injury education community outreach, (3) developing a digital platform tool for sharing information and accessing resources, and (4) working to identify and implement needed policy changes. Initially the model will be implemented in the San Antonio, TX area.
The CBIRT team has a long history of affecting positive system change within schools and communities. We have conceptualized each component of the TBI SOS model with sustainability and scalability in mind.
We are excited to undertake this work with colleagues and collaborators in Texas. According to the Texas Department of Health, each year, approximately 3,000 Texas children are hospitalized or seen in an emergency department following a brain injury. This number is most certainly a significant undercount because many children are never seen in a medical setting. Our goal is to increase the capacity of our partnered school district to recognize, intervene, and support children with TBI and to impact the broader community with the potential for transformative and sustainable change.
When CBIRT's Director, Melissa McCart, was asked 'What excites you about your work at CBIRT?', she responded, "I am excited about the potential to help individuals with brain injuries and their families. I am excited about CBIRT's work in policy and law. When we are successful in removing barriers for people with brain injury, we have the potential to impact the quality of life of individuals and their families for years to come."
The TBI System of Support for Kids project continues to follow this path! Stay tuned for updates about TBI SOS 4 Kids.