ACL has recently awarded the University of Florida and the University of Wisconsin each a three-year Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program (TBI SPP) grant from September 1, 2023, to July 31, 2026, totaling $599,000.
The University of Florida’s program will be called "Building a System of Resource Facilitation for All Floridians with Brain Injury." The University of Wisconsin’s program will be known as "Brain Injury Advocacy Network of Wisconsin (BIANW)."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI every year, and an estimated 6% experience long-term or permanent disability that impacts daily living activities. The effects of TBI may occur immediately following an incident in which a person acquires a TBI or may develop months (or even years) after an injury is sustained. The complex nature of TBI may affect a person’s cognitive, physical, emotional, and/or behavioral capacities, impacting participation in independent living, education, and employment across the lifespan. Furthermore, when intersectionality is considered for multiply marginalized individuals, those impacts grow exponentially.
The purpose of the TBI State Partnership Program is to create and strengthen person-centered, culturally competent systems of services and supports to maximize the independence and overall health and well-being of people with TBI and those who support them. As a result of the TBI State Partnership Program, ACL envisions a world where individuals with TBI will experience:
- Increased self-determination, independence, and quality of life.
- Highly streamlined, coordinated pathways to services and supports.
- Increased availability of high quality, person-centered, culturally competent, evidence-based services and supports.
- Person-centered, culturally competent services and supports with the capacity to serve and support diverse and underserved populations.
For additional information, visit the ACL TBI Program webpage or email Shawn.callaway@acl.hhs.gov.