Military TBI Resources

The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Pocket Guide mobile application for health care providers gives instant access to a comprehensive quick-reference guide on improving care for mTBI patients. Designed to reflect current clinical standards of care, the mTBI Pocket Guide mobile application can help you improve quality of care and clinical outcomes for patients.

Military and civilian physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and related treatment and therapy providers can use the application to find information on assessing, treating, and managing common symptoms of mTBI patients.

The mTBI Pocket Guide mobile app offers clinicians a wide range of diagnostic, treatment and information resources:

Definitions, causes and severity ratings for mTBI

Department of Defense mTBI Clinical Guidance

VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Concussion/mTBI symptom management

Summary of cognitive rehabilitation clinical recommendations for mTBI

Clinical recommendations on driving assessment after mTBI

Consolidated ICD-9 TBI coding tool for providers

Examples of clinical tools and resources, and how to obtain them

Examples of patient education materials, and where to obtain them

The National Center for TeleHealth and Technology also has these apps: Breathe 2 Relax, PTSD Coach, T2 Mood Tracker and Tactical Breather.

Brain injury information, organizations

Brain Injury Association of America

www.biausa.org

Founded in 1980, the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is the leading national organization serving and representing individuals, families and professionals who are touched by a life-altering, often devastating, traumatic brain injury (TBI). Together with its network of more than 40 chartered state affiliates, as well as hundreds of local chapters and support groups across the country, the BIAA provides information, education and support to assist the 3.17 million Americans currently living with traumatic brain injury and their families.

If you or someone you love has sustained a brain injury, please call the Brain Injury Association of America at 1-800-444-64431-800-444-6443 for information and resources and/or visit, www.biausa.org.

Brainline

www.brainline.org

Preventing, treating and living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). advocacy, news and information for survivors, friends, families, caregivers and professionals.

Brainline Military

www.brainlinemilitary.org

BrainLineMilitary.org provides military-specific information and resources on traumatic brain injury to veterans, service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Reserve, and their families. Through video, webcasts, articles, personal stories, research briefs, and current news, those whose lives have been affected by TBI can learn more about brain injury symptoms and treatment, rehabilitation, and family issues associated with TBI care and recovery.

Through BrainLineMilitary.org, we seek to provide a sense of community, a place where people who care about TBI can go 24 hours a day for information, support, and ideas.

BrainLineMilitary.org is part of BrainLine.org, a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. For more information about BrainLine.org, click here.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/index.html

Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (Military Outreach Campaign)

https://www.christopherreeve.org/get-support/military-veterans-program-mvp

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center (PRC), the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), and the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) have resources and expertise to enhance the care and recovery of active military and veterans with paralysis and/or traumatic brain injury.

The PRC Military Outreach Campaign assists all service members and veterans with mobility impairment from a spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain injury. The PRC has two locations and an extensive website to help those living with paralysis make more informed decisions about their treatment.

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center

www.dvbic.org

The mission of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) is to serve active duty military, their beneficiaries, and veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) through state-of-the-art clinical care, innovative clinical research initiatives and educational programs. DVBIC fulfills this mission through ongoing collaboration with military, VA and civilian health partners, local communities, families and individuals with TBI.

In 2008, DVBIC's mission expanded to include Force Health Protection and Management. This encompasses the following Department of Defense (DoD) programs: TBI Surveillance, TBI Registry, Pre-deployment neurocognitive testing, Family Caregiver Curriculum, 15 year longitudinal study of TBI, Independent study of automated neurocognitive tests. DVBIC has been named the Office of Responsibility or Executive Agency for these programs.

DVBIC's multi-center network design and collaborations with forward medical commands allows for clinical innovation along the entire continuum of care: from initial injury in the war zone through to medical evacuation, acute care, rehabilitation and ultimately a return to community, family, and work or continued duty when possible.

This website features a Family Caregiver Curriculum.

Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE)

http://www.dcoe.mil/

The mission of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) is to improve the lives of our nation’s service members, families and veterans by advancing excellence in psychological health and traumatic brain injury prevention and care. DCoE strives to be the trusted source and advocate for psychological health and traumatic brain injury knowledge and standards for the Department of Defense, and profoundly improve the system of care.

Marcus Institute for Brain Health (Aurora, CO)

https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/mibh

The MIBH provides specialty care for military veterans, first responders, and retired athletes struggling with mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injuries (including concussion) and changes in psychological health. Patients at the MIBH are treated as a person first. We welcome Veterans of any discharge status.

Our intensive, outpatient program combines the best tools in traditional rehabilitation with complementary medicines so you can heal. At the MIBH, we are here to help because there may be nothing “mild” about mild to moderate TBI.

Operation TBI Freedom (Colorado)

https://craighospital.org/programs/operation-tbi-freedom

Operation TBI Freedom is located in Colorado Springs but serves the entire state of Colorado. OTF offers long-term nonmedical case management services, including crisis management, medical and mental health referrals, employment/education assistance, limited emergency assistance for severe needs (case-by-case only), and much more. OTF supports many service members from the multiple military installations and military communities throughout the state, including Fort Carson, Peterson AFB, US Air Force Academy, Buckley AFB, and the Colorado National Guard.

Resurrecting Lives Foundation

http://www.resurrectinglives.org/

Our mission is to coordinate and advocate for the successful transition to a post-military career and life for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Shepherd Center

www.shepherd.org

SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center is a comprehensive rehabilitation program that focuses on assessment and treatment for service men and women who have sustained a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury and PTSD from the Afghanistan and Iraqi conflicts.

SHARE Military Initiative provides assistance, support, and education to service members and their families during their recovery treatment and beyond. In addition, the program compiles data that is beneficial to policy and legislative change to provide for unfunded services.

TBI Voices

http://tbivoices.com/

The diagnosis of brain injury must be made by a medical doctor, but too often that doctor has never heard the full story of TBI, either in that specific person or in general. Almost never have most those given the responsibility to diagnose TBI, listened fully to the survivor or heard what the family members and co-workers say about the immediate and long term consequences of this injury.

Thus, we have started the TBI Voices initiative. To launch it, we are bringing to support groups Lethan Candlish's performance of "Who Am I Again?". "Who Am I Again?" is a story teller's perspective on surviving coma, both in his voice and in the voice of those of his family, friends and others who shared his rehabilitation journey.

It is hoped that tbivoices.com will fill the void of the missing TBI story. Through the TBI Voices initiative, we will provide an internet archive of brain injury voices. The goal is to create a comprehensive and consistent treatment of the subjective aspects of TBI. Each story will include the voice of the survivor, those who knew the survivor before and after the injury, the context injury and the nature of the treatment and disability. If this archive can become a chorus of voices, it may influence the diagnosis and treatment of brain injury in a way that current research - that is based upon objective measurement of an injury that is exceedingly hard to measure and almost impossible to quantify - cannot.

The BART Foundation

https://www.thebartfoundation.org/

Brain Alternative Rehabilitation Therapies (BART) is a non profit dedicated to the research of alternative therapies for brain injury survivors.

The Brain Injury Recovery Network

http://www.tbirecovery.org/

We have developed this site in an attempt to provide practical, actionable advice for brain injury survivors and families. Our goal is to see that survivors of brain injuries are given every possible chance to recover.

Traumatic Brain Injury

www.traumaticbraininjury.com

TraumaticBrainInjury is a project of TraumaticBrainInjury.com, LLC. Our mission is to be the leading internet resource for education, advocacy, research and support for brain injury surviviors, their families, and medical and rehabilitation professionals.

Traumatic Brain Injury: The Journey Home

www.traumaticbraininjuryatoz.org

Welcome to The Journey Home - the CEMM Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) web site. This site provides an informative and sensitive exploration of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), including information for patients, family members, and caregivers. Topics include types and symptoms of brain injury, TBI treatment and recovery, and helpful insights about the potential long-term effects of brain injury. Animation is used to help patients clearly understand the brain, and the results of injuries to different parts of the brain. Survivors and their caregivers share courageous stories about their own experiences, providing down-to-earth facts along with inspiration and hope. Watch the Traumatic Brain Injury introduction video.

Traumatic Brain Injury Survival Guide (Online Book)

www.tbiguide.com

Nearly all of the survivors of a traumatic head injury and their families with whom I have worked have had one complaint: There is nothing written that explains head injury in clear, easy to understand language. Most say the available material is too medical or too difficult to read. The goal of this online book is to better prepare the head injured person and family for the long road ahead.

Tulane University - Center for Brain Health (New Orleans, LA)

https://centerforsport.tulane.edu/center-for-brain-health

Our mission is to aid in the healing, recovery and preventive treatment of veterans by treating the whole veteran and providing the most comprehensive and multidisciplinary care.

We address mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), post-traumatic stress and other physical and psychological health concerns.

Our care model centers around mind-body therapies that address the powerful way physical, emotional, spiritual and social conditions can affect a veteran's health and wellbeing.

Waiting

www.waiting.com/comawaiting

Find out why we are here and who we are. We recommend visiting The Bridge From Despair for personal stories, advice, anecdotes and thoughts from survivors of brain injury and family members of survivors of brain injury.

We provide information about Brain Injury: Intracranial Pressure, Coma, The Rancho Los Amigos Scale, Neurosurgery, Brain Anatomy, Brain Functions and Pathology, and a complete Glossary of terms you may encounter.

The ICU Guide explains the function of the equipment in the Intensive Care Unit, the roles played by different members of the medical team, how to get information from doctors and other medical professionals, suggestions on locating other resources, and the role of family members of the patient.

Pocket guide (also available as app)

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Pocket Guide

pocket guide

mobile app

The Mild TBI Pocket Guide is a quick reference, all-encompassing resource for primary care and other TBI health care providers on the assessment, treatment and management of patients with mild TBI and related symptoms in the continental United States.

The clinical guidance and tools in the guide include:

TBI basics

Summaries of the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Concussion/Mild TBI(2009) and Updated DoD Mild TBI Clinical Guidance (2008)

ICD-9 coding guidance for TBI

Cognitive rehabilitation for mild TBI

Clinical recommendations on driving assessment after TBI

Patient education tools

Other clinical tools and resources

Software

Aphasia Project (The Heart of a Marine Foundation)

http://heartofamarine.org/programs/aphasia-project.aspx

Aphasia is a loss of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language, due to injury to the brain. Brain damage can be caused by TBI, stroke, or other head injury. Aphasia interactive software has been developed to simulate the use of the brain throughout repetition.

The Heart Of A Marine Foundation is committed to assisting VA hospitals and rehab facilities that serve vets receive the best tools for treatment.

Additional support organizations

Braveminds

www.braveminds.org

A community of support, comfort and education of and for brain injured men, women, children and their loved ones.

Chambers for Hope (North Carolina, Pennsylvania)

https://www.facebook.com/chambersforhope/

Chambers for Hope is a non-profit organization that provides 100% financial assistance to Veterans and First Responders in need of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). The goal is to provide the treatment in HBOT clinics within close proximity to their place of residence.

The Chambers for Hope Network consists of two HBOT clinics - Fayetteville Hyperbarics, LLC located in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Oxygen Oasis Hyperbaric Wellness Center located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Both clinics provide quality HBOT treatments for a variety of conditions including traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and other combat related injuries as prescribed.

Healing Arizona Veterans (Arizona)

http://www.healingarizonaveterans.org/

Healing Arizona Veterans is dedicated to helping veterans receive the medical care for traumatic brain injury that they are not receiving through the VA.

Healing Arizona Veterans (“HAV”) is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping our recent returning veterans to heal from their Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) conditions suffered in combat in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. HAV is a non-profit corporation. Because of funding we are only able to provide free treatments to combat related TBI/PTSD veterans. We hope in the future our program will be adopted by VA hospitals and military hospitals throughout the country.

Heal the Warriors

http://healthewarriors.org/

We provide treatment for service-related Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We help our warriors eliminate the headaches. We help them sleep better. We help balance their metabolism. We help them focus. We help them communicate with their families. We help them attain better health and wellness in the 8 week program and beyond. We help their families and caregivers/spouses recover, too.

Simply put: We help warriors take their lives back after service-related Traumatic Brain Injury.

Improving quality of life after service-related Traumatic Brain Injury means focusing treatment on three important factors:

1. The injured brain

2. The physical and psychological symptoms of the brain injury

3. The family

We have put together an eight week, one-of-a-kind program that integrates holistic, effective treatment options that focus on those three factors.

We cannot stress enough how much attitude and desire play a roll in the treatment process. If warriors are not ready to make some much needed changes and commit to healthy habits we tell them to come back when they are ready!

Military Missions in Action Homes for Healing Program (North Carolina)

http://militarymissionsinaction.org/programs/homes-for-healing/

Homes for Healing assists veterans who suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that 360,000 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 suffer from TBI, which causes neurological damage and can impact one’s behavior, emotions, memory, body functions, speech, and an array of other disorders. For someone suffering from TBI or PTSD, what once was a simple task can seem an insurmountable obstacle. MMIA assists veterans who suffer from these conditions, which in turn helps them in their healing process.

Operation TBI Freedom (Colorado)

www.operationtbifreedom.org

Operation TBI Freedom specializes in care coordination to provide the best individualized supports and resources for military personnel and veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Care coordination helps each individual with TBI:

Manage crisis situations

Identify resources

Learn self advocacy

Our Care Coordinators listen to the specific needs of those enrolled in the program and help them link to services and funding resources to which they are entitled. Some of the greatest areas of need include assistance with:

Financial issues

Housing problems

Benefits

Legal Issues

Crisis Counseling

Family Education and Support

Medical Care

Mental Health Services

Employment

Assistive Technology

All services offered by Operation TBI Freedom are free of charge and offered by Certified Brain Injury Specialists with military and Case management experience.

Project Victory (TIRR Foundation)

www.tirrfoundation.org

TIRR Foundation and the TIRR Memorial Hermann have joined together to provide rehabilitative care for military service members injured in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The program, Project Victory, seeks to enable soldiers with a traumatic brain injury regain skills and functions that were lost through their injury.

Project Victory is looking to serve veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom who are experiencing the following symptoms:

Trouble with memory, attention or concentration

Difficulty organizing tasks

Blurred vision or eyes tire easily

Easily angered or irritated

Difficulty inhibiting behavior- impulsive

More sensitive to sounds, lights or distractions

Impaired decision-making or problem-solving

Feeling tired all the time

Headaches or ringing in the ears

Slowed thinking, moving, speaking or reading

Project Victory works with military personnel and veterans of recent military service, who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and who have screened positively for post concussive symptoms or been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury while in combat or stateside. Services within Project Victory are provided at no cost to the client and without regard to age, ethnicity or gender.

Real Warriors Campaign

www.realwarriors.net

The Real Warriors Campaign is an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families.

Warriors Heart (Bandera, TX)

https://www.warriorsheart.com/

Warriors Heart® provides private treatment to adult men and women 18 and older who are seeking inpatient treatment for chemical dependency, alcohol abuse, and co-occurring psychological disorders relating to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or the psychological effects of MTBI (mild traumatic brain injury).

Warriors Heart is a privately funded treatment center located in San Antonio, where we only treat active military, veterans, firefighters, police, EMTs, and active members from across the United States that belong to organizations that protect and serve the citizens of the United States.

Due to the nature of our program, we’re only able to accept those who suffer from addiction by itself or in conjunction with psychological disorders such as PTSD.

Tablet computers

Healing Heroes Network Tablets for Heroes program

https://www.healingheroes.org/programs/tablets-for-heroes-program.html

The Tablets for Heroes program provides tablet computers to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have sustained Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) while serving since September 11, 2001.

Symptoms associated with PTSD and TBI can include disorganization, forgetfulness, and disorientation. With the aid of a portable computer tablet, they would have constant access to an electronic schedule, cognitive assistance, and consistent access to various forms of wireless communications to stay in touch with family, caregivers, or doctors.

There are 7 applications downloaded on the tablets that serve as therapeutic programs, as well as copying and adaptability coaching applications.

Tablets for Heroes will help our troops heal cognitively and allow them to be more self-sufficient, rather than relying on caretakers.