Iowa's Traumatic Brain Injury State Implementation Partnership Grant

In June 2018, the Iowa Department of Public Health received federal funding (grant number 90TBSG0037) from the U.S. Administration for Community Living.  

Through this 2018-2021 project, Iowa's goal is to increase access to appropriate services and supports by individuals with brain injury and their families.  The objectives are:

• to increase implementation of evidence-based return-to-learn protocols
• to increase awareness of brain injury and concussion
• to increase outreach to, and services for, underserved and inappropriately served individuals with TBI
• to increase effectiveness of the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Advisory Council on Brain Injuries
• to improve national impact of the TBI program.

2019 Community Snapshot

In 2019, a community snapshot was developed to highlight the progression of Iowa's work, supported in part by funds made available through the TBI State Partnership Grant, to impact systems change regarding concussion management.  

      2019 Community Snapshot  

Highlights 

• IDPH contracted with providers who serve the following underserved populations (individuals with a substance use disorder and refugees to screen for a lifetime history of brain injury.
• Work is underway to screen individuals in correctional settings, children with mental health issues and individuals who are homeless.
• IDPH is leading a collaborative sponsored by the National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices comprised of individuals with lived experience, contracted partners, and external stakeholders with the goal to better serve those with co-occurring substance use disorder and brain injury.
• The Advisory Council on Brain Injuries has been actively serving Iowans’ with brain injuries this last year, with several accomplishments noted below:

• The Council made a recommendation to the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise which resulted in the development of a process to ensure HCBS brain injury waiver applicants have access to information on resource facilitation while they are on the waiting list for the brain injury waiver program which is approximately 3 years. 
• The Council facilitated a group of stakeholders to develop community-based, neurobehavioral rehabilitation service (CNRS) standards for provider training. 

Grant Products

Screening Tools

Brain injuries are often a multi-occurring condition with mental health, substance abuse, unemployment, corrections involvement and homelessness.  Screening for a brain injury is best practice when responding to, and/or planning clinical and community based responses for clients served in health, community, and corrections services.  Therefore the Advisory Council on Brain Injuries has recommended and approved a screening tool for implementation in Iowa.  The tool is simple and can be used by providers to assess if an individual may have had a brain injury, though the tool does not provide a diagnosis or indicate an absence of a brain injury.  Once completed, if warranted, a referral may be made to the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa for further consultation.   Note:  A pediatric screening tool is currently being adapted for Iowa.  When completed, it will be added to this website.

Memo from the Advisory Council on Brain Injuries regarding screening 

Brain Injury Screening Tool for Adults

Brain Injury Screening Tool & Instructions (English) 

Instrucciones de evaluacion de antecedentes de lesiones cerebrales traumatica  

The screening tool is now also available in the following languages:

• Arabic  
• Karen  
• Karenni  
• Spanish  
• Swahili  
• Tigrinya  

Brain Injury Screening Tool for Youth

Pediatric screening tool & instructions 

Concussion

Get Schooled on Concussions! Introducing the Teacher Acute Concussion Tool (TACT)

Concussions can cause learning and (sometimes) emotional/behavioral problems.  The good news is that the majority of concussions heal within 1 to 4 weeks, especially with quick and nimble supports from school.  To help support teachers learn the stratetgies to support students at they return to the classroom following a concussion, the Iowa Departments of Education and Public Health have partnered to provide a statewide subscription to the Get Schooled on Concussions' Teacher Acute Concussion Tool (TACT).  This resource is available at no cost to educators working in public or private schools across Iowa. 

Contact brain.injury@idph.iowa.gov to learn how your school can get started!

Learn more about TACT

TACT promotional postcard 

Why get schooled on concussions?   Explaination of concussion management using Multi-Tier System of Support (MTSS) 

If you would like to know more about this work and other ACL grant funded work please contact Jim Pender at james.pender@idph.iowa.gov or at 515-204-7978.

For more information about the federal program, please visit https://www.acl.gov/programs/post-injury-support/traumatic-brain-injury-tbi.

*Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.