Posted on July 26th, 2010
Looking for a brain injury support group in South Carolina? Financial assistance for your injury? Information on recovery? Fortunately, the state is filled with resources that exist to ease the painful processes of diagnosis and rehabilitation. It’s only a matter of finding and utilizing them.
For a list of general resources composed by the Brain Injury Alliance of South Carolina, click here. This is where you’ll find contact information for organizations like the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation Department, Brain Injury Leadership Council, and Head and Spinal Cord Injury Division of the Department of Disabilities Special Needs. You’ll also find resources for information on brain injury in children.
For a list of support group contacts and schedules, click here. Meetings take place regularly in over a dozen cities across the state, including Charleston, Aiken, Spartanburg, Greenville, Columbia, and Beaufort. Support groups a great way to learn about your injury and to meet others facing the challenges of an injury similar to your own. They provide an opportunity for expression, socialization, and education, and are a critical part of the recovery process.
And finally, for information on legal services in the state, click here.
A TBI is a life-altering injury. Though it cannot be cured, it’s not always be debilitating. To make the most of your rehabilitation, take advantage of the resources and information available above, and know that you’re not alone.
Posted on April 30th, 2010
Increased research and a more focused approach to the study of brain injury have led government officials to question the conditions under which servicemembers are being dishonorably discharged from the military as a result of undiagnosed injuries. So, “as the body of knowledge of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI has matured, personnel policies have also evolved to ensure servicemembers are thoroughly evaluated prior to consideration of discharge from military service,” Dr. Charles L. Rice, assistant secretary for health affairs and William J. Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy said in a joint statement recently. The following are among the policy adaptations:
- To award over $500 million in research studies on traumatic brain injuries and psychological health
- To invest in pre-deployment resiliency training;
- To conduct acute concussion screening for all patients evacuated from combat with head or neck injuries;
- To revamp pre- and post-deployment screenings to make them more comprehensive;
- To mandate physical exams within 12 months of a servicemember’s separation – a department policy adopted in October 2005 – that are waived only with the consent of both the servicemember and the unit commander; and
- To add over 2,000 mental health providers to military treatment facilities.
Additionally, a website establishing wellness resources for the military community has been launched at www.afterdeployment.org, and the military has made an effort to reduce the stigma attached to seeking mental health treatment.
Defense Department officials plan to release a report June 25 to update how the services will meet their goals. For more information, click here.
Posted on March 21st, 2010
In the coming weeks, the US Department of Defense will implement its most recent set of guidelines in detecting and monitoring the head injuries of servicemembers who have been involved in incidents where the risk of traumatic brain injury was high. According to the Department’s director of TBI clinical standards of care, Kathy Helmick, officials intend to use an “educate, train, track and treat sequence” in implementing the standards. This involves “ensuring awareness at all levels in recognizing symptoms of brain injuries, training health care providers in evidence-based treatments, treating incidents early, and tracking progress to yield metrics that would show where improvements are needed.” The education of supervisors and commanders in this area is of particular importance, Helmick says.
Concurrently, DoD researchers are looking into “blast dynamics [as] related to the direction of explosions and relationships between the magnitude of explosions in enclosed and open locations” in the hopes of determining ways to decrease the number of traumatic brain injuries sustained and lessen the effects of these injuries. Research is also being done to explore the relationship between psychological health and brain injury.
“Our real message to send out to everyone is, ‘Protect your greatest weapon — your brain,’” Helmick says. “The cornerstone is early detection and early treatment, and that these are recoverable injuries.”
Posted on March 14th, 2010
When a person arrives at the hospital after a potential traumatic brain injury (TBI), doctors commonly rely on a CT scan to determine whether the patient has sustained intracranial bleeding. Currently, this is the best approach to assessing a TBI victim’s condition. However, because CT scans are so often utilized and in such high demand, many doctors and patients lose precious time waiting for equipment to become available. Furthermore, according to Jeffrey Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., Emergency Physician with the University of Rochester Medical Center, “In 95 percent of patients with mild TBI, the CT scans [come back] normal.”
So, what can doctors do to improve upon current methods of diagnosis?
Researchers suggest initiating a blood test instead of an imaging technique. “The blood test looks for a marker, called S-100B, a type of protein from a type of brain cell known as an astrocyte,” an article on the subject explains. “Studies show this marker is elevated in patients with a brain bleeding after a TBI.”
Such a test would take about 20 minutes to complete, and would need to be administered within three hours of arrival “to ensure accuracy.” No waiting in line for machinery, and no unnecessary CT scans. “If the test is negative, it’s most likely the patient doesn’t need a CT scan,” the article continues.
Though approved for use in Europe, ongoing studies and trials will determine whether the procedure will be accepted in the United States, as it is currently not an option for TBI victims on American soil.
