Mission:
To create a better future through brain injury prevention, research, education and advocacy.
The Brain Injury Association of Minnesota provides information and resources statewide, offers individual and group assistance, develops and promotes educational awareness and outreach activities, and actively participates in public policy on issues related to brain injury.
Program Description:
The following programs are offered by the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota:
Information and Resources (I & R) - Persons with brain injury, family members and professionals call the Brain Injury Association for information about aspects of brain injury, for referral to professionals and services, or because they are in a crisis and do not know where else to turn. A great deal of emotional support as well as information is provided over the telephone.
Individual Assistance - Brain Injury Association staff provide time-intensive individual assistance and advocacy to persons with brain injury and their families. Each individual, each injury and each set of circumstances is unique. Individuals may seek help soon after the injury or years later, when new problems develop - their problems might be relatively easy to resolve or very complex.
Resource Facilitation (formerly the TBI Discharge Program) - Resource Facilitation is information, resources, and access to services and support for children and adults with brain injury and their families. Every brain injury is unique. Therefore, the nature of the service delivery system must be flexible to address the diverse needs of each individual with brain injury. Service, support, and educational needs for persons with TBI and their families often exist well beyond the time of hospital discharge. To address this need, Resource Facilitation provides support beyond hospital discharge, on-going information and resources in a timely manner, assistance with problem solving and advocacy.
Latino Outreach Program - The goal of this program is to increase awareness of brain injury and thus improve service delivery, for the purpose of increasing the self-sufficiency of Spanish speaking people with brain injury. Accomplishing this goal will involve increased information, resources and more timely access to culturally sensitive support services by increasing the ability of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota to provide services to the Chicano/Latino community. These supports are provided through existing cultural service organizations and in the community.
Prevention Activities and Public Awareness - Several public awareness activities are held throughout the year to promote brain injury prevention, including a bike/skateboard safety fest at the Mall of America. Several public awareness publications are available to help persons with brain injury and families become aware of available services and to reach professionals with information about brain injury. These publications include informational brochures for distribution to patients and families, the quarterly Brain Injury Association newsletter (circulation of about 10,000 statewide), a bi-weekly electronic newsletter (circulation of 1,600) and the Association website (average of 40,000 plus hits per month).
Educational Programs - The Association's educational programs include: the annual two day educational conference, the Discharge Planning Conference, monthly meetings of the Brain Injury Community Committee, in-service training for Long Term Care providers, Vocational Vendors, Case Management personnel and Counselors, and quarterly workshops geared to person with brain injuries and families.
Public Policy Advocacy - The Association concentrates on grassroots advocacy to influence, educate and improve Public Policy that affects people with brain injury and their loved ones.
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