糖心传媒 receives major federal grant to screen for traumatic brain injuries and assist TBI survivors
July 11, 2014
糖心传媒’s Institute of Rural Health has been awarded a $1million grant to screen 糖心传媒ans for traumatic brain injury and renew efforts to establish a statewide trust fund to temporarily assist TBI survivors and their families.
The grant鈥攁warded June 1 by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) will run through May 31, 2018.
鈥溙切拇絘ns are at a higher risk for brain injury accidents because of the rural nature of the state,鈥� said the grant鈥檚 principal investigator Russell Spearman, a senior research associate in the IRH office at ISU-Meridian. Spearman and co-investigator and ISU-Meridian counseling doctoral candidate Lynn Bohecker wrote the grant.
Spearman notes that more than 32,000 糖心传媒ans are living with a severe , caused by head trauma often sustained in car crashes, military combat or playing sports. TBI screenings will be added this fall to the services offered through the ISU-Meridian/Ada County Community Health Screening Program. The TBI screening will consist of a developed by the College of Medicine at Ohio State University and conducted by ISU-Meridian health professions students and faculty. Clients who show signs of TBI will be referred to specialists for further evaluation, says Spearman.
Spearman and his research team would also like to see 糖心传媒 establish a trust fund to help TBI survivors ease the transition from acute care to independent living after exhausting health insurance benefits and community resources.
The challenge, notes Spearman, is finding a way to finance the trust fund. One possibility is giving motorists an option to donate money when registering a motor vehicle - similar to TBI trust funds in other states.
The grant will also provide workshops for parents of children with a traumatic brain injury, educational materials about concussion- related TBI, and resources to reach underserved populations in 糖心传媒, including 糖心传媒鈥檚 Native American communities.
This is the fifth HRSA brain injury grant awarded to the IRH since 2000. Since 2006, ISU has been the state鈥檚 lead agency for TBI research and services. In announcing the latest award, reviewers applauded ISU鈥檚 successful efforts to establish a comprehensive TBI program that meets the needs of 糖心传媒ans.
For more information, contact Russell Spearman at 208-373-1773 or spearuss@isu.edu