Utah Traumatic Brain Injury Partnership Grant (TBI/PART)

Project Details

Project Context:
Across the nation, 1.4 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports, and abuse/assault. TBI is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the U.S. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that in Utah, there are 44,000 Utah men and women living with disabilities stemming from severe head injuries. TBI is
the leading cause of death for people between the ages of one and forty-four. A growing number of veterans are coming back from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with head injuries. Advocates estimate roughly two-thirds of the more than 30,000 men and women injured in the war so far have TBI, and it is the signature injury of the war.

Individuals who have sustained a brain injury and their family members often find themselves lost in a maze of confusion, not knowing what to expect, where to locate information, and how to obtain professional services that meet their unique needs.

With the enactment of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-206), states and territories received grants through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish an infrastructure that would deliver TBI-related services and improve their ability to make system changes to sustain these services. The CPD Interdisciplinary Training Division, directed by Dr. Judith Holt, received a two-year TBI Planning Grant that brought together diverse TBI stakeholders in 2000. This group established the Utah State TBI Advisory Board that conducted a statewide needs and resources assessment. A statewide action plan was then developed based on those findings.

In 2003, Utah received a three-year TBI Implementation grant that focused on improving access to care, community services and supports; developing systems change for sustainability; and developing and disseminating TBI educational training materials. Through this grant, best practices in the areas of case management practices, social/recreational activities for individuals, use and availability of assistive technology devices, and transition planning were identified. These best practices were implemented into the TBI Community Workgroup Action Plan.

In 2007, Utah received a three-year TBI Partnership Grant designating the Division of Services for People with Disabilities as the TBI Lead Agency for Utah to build on the work accomplished in Utah thus far.

Project Focus:
The Utah TBI Partnership Project focuses on the sustainability and expansion of the initial TBI work into two more counties in Utah, Box Elder and Iron County. Project goals are to increase public awareness of the impact of TBI on individuals and to increase community support.

This project will benefit the public by 1) planning and conducting an evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of the Utah Traumatic Brain Injury Project, 2) providing onsite leadership and support for six community sites throughout Utah, and, 3) developing training modules to be used for targeted audiences in the community sites as well as across the state.

FY 2010 Focus: