The South Carolina Brain Injury Safety Net

MISSION

The SC Brain Injury Safety Net (or “Safety Net”) program provides updated, high-quality training and educational resources for schools, families, and healthcare professionals on best practices in pediatric concussion management statewide. Through increased education and coordination of services, the Safety Net will allow professionals, advocates, and survivors to use our currently-available resources more efficiently and effectively, and ultimately improve outcomes for children across SC.

VISION

The SC Brain Injury Safety Net Task Force and the Brain Injury Association of SC are working to build a “safety net” for all young people by creating a multi-disciplinary network of professionals, providers and agencies so that every child will have a greater chance of accessing the support and care needed to ensure optimal long-term functioning and brain health.

THE NEED

Effective management of mild traumatic brain injury shortens recovery time, reduces long-term symptomology, decreases health care costs, and lessens the impact of a brain injury on a child’s school performance, mood, self-esteem, and daily functioning.

In our state and across the country, minorities are at greater risk for more severe traumatic brain injuries and have higher mortality rates, and access to specialist care is less likely for lower income, rural families. Overcoming obstacles to care can include creation of new services, but it is often a matter of better coordinating the services that already exist and providing education about when and which services are needed. Brain injuries are complex to manage even under ideal circumstances. There is significant, urgent need for more education and effective coordination of services in the state; young people and families are falling through the cracks in our systems far too often.

THE PLAN

BIASC is working with partners across the state to develop much-needed, up-to-date educational materials on concussion in children, and to improve the coordination of medical and academic services that young people need to recover and thrive after experiencing a TBI. In order to improve care and outcomes for school-aged children and adolescents that experience a TBI, BIASC is developing resources and building relationships with families, educators and school administrators, healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and policymakers.

In March 2019, BIASC brought together a group of committed experts from multiple fields to create the SC Brain Injury Safety Net Taskforce. This group of champions will work together throughout the grant to develop and promote updated and audience-appropriate educational materials about concussions and concussion management, which will ultimately improve outcomes for survivors.

A key program objective is to customize and distribute a South Carolina-specific REAP Manual, which is a protocol that schools, families, and providers can follow to help students safely recover from a concussion. The SC REAP (Remove/Reduce, Educate, Adjust/Accommodate, Pace) Manual is an important tool that brings experts from different fields to the table, who will ultimately create a more organized infrastructure for holistic concussion care. BIASC worked closely with Dr. Karen McAvoy, a nationally renowned pediatric concussion management expert and author of the original REAP Manual, to assist with the project and help promote the REAP Manual across South Carolina. Please go to the REAP Manual tab at the top of the page to download the PDF!

Over the next year and a half, the Brain Injury Safety Net program will also provide trainings, develop conference presentations, and create a series of webinars that will be used as an educational tools for families and professionals. Find those resources as they become available in our South Carolina Brain Injury Safety Net Resource Hub!