Brain Injury Services in Virginia

A concussion. A headache. A bump to the head. No matter what you call it, 1 in 10 Virginians are living with a disability as a result of an acquired brain injury. Though it affects every community in Virginia, brain injury is considered the “silent epidemic” because community awareness, education, and resources are often lacking.

Understanding the system of “core” services.
In Virginia, survivors of brain injury can access a network of core services that provide support within the community. These services include:

• Clubhouses and Day Programs
  Clubhouse and day programs offer survivors of brain injury the opportunity to participate in productive activity within the community. Clubhouses and day programs are designed to increase the independence and employability of survivors of brain injury and may provide services such as social and behavioral skill development, independent living skill development, vocational training, and/or compensatory strategies training.
• Case Management Services
  Case Managers help survivors of brain injury and their families identify needs and develop a plan to meet those needs. As a part of this process, a Case Manager provides education about community resources, plans and coordinates services, and monitors the services put in place.
• Regional Resource Coordination
  Resource Coordinators provide survivors of brain injury and their families information about brain injury and referral to local service providers. Resource Coordinators facilitate the provision of services to individuals with brain injury through education, outreach, public awareness and advocacy. They also work to build local brain injury support systems through provider recruitment and development.

For More Information

The Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS)
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Department of Rehabilitative Services is the lead state agency that oversees the provision of services to survivors of brain injury in our communities. The DRS Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury Services Unit manages multiple programs, contracts, and federal/state grants that provide brain injury services throughout the state. The BI/SCIS Unit serves as a point of contact for Virginians seeking general information on brain injury and spinal cord injury, or specific resources and referral information about agency services for persons with neurotrauma.

For further information regarding the programs and services managed by the Department of Rehabilitative Services Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury Services Unit, please e-mail Patti.Goodall@drs.virginia.gov or call (804) 662-7615 or (800) 552-5019.