Brain Injury State Partnership Program

Brain Injury Council of Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ logo

 

About the Brain Injury State Partnership Program

The overall goal of this project is to increase capacity in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ to provide a continuum of care for individuals with brain injury and their families across the lifespan with services which are culturally responsive, person-centered, comprehensive and coordinated.

FY22-26 Program Objectives:

  1. Facilitate cross-systems collaboration involving a variety of stakeholders to identify brain injury service needs and barriers to independent living and person-centered care, and advise the State on overall systems planning;
  2. Determine the current TBI prevalence in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, as well as the current state of brain injury services, including barriers to appropriate care;
  3. Facilitate implementation of the Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ 5-Year State Plan for Brain Injury and update annually;
  4. Facilitate stakeholder engagement, with assistance from mentor state(s), in a process to inform the design and implementation of a TBI State Registry; and
  5. Expand capacity to screen and identify Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æns with brain injury and provide evidence-based medical care.

 

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90TBSG0022-01-00, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury (TABI) Advisory Council

  • ACL Grant & Federal Requirements

    The federal guidance for the advisory council is as follows:

    The advisory board or council provides an opportunity to ensure a variety of stakeholders participate in determining the needs of individuals with TBI, their families, and support systems. It creates structure for statewide cross-systems collaboration, which is essential for systems change work. All grantees are required to establish and/or maintain an advisory board within the lead state agency.

    TBI advisory boards or advisory councils should include the following in accordance with and in addition to the mandates of 42 U.S.C., § 300d–52, and in alignment with ACL's commitment to independent living and person-centered planning:

    • Membership that is at least 50 percent comprised of people with TBI (i.e. survivors)
    • Family members of people with TBI
    • Center for Independent Living/State Independent Living Council representation
    • Aging and Disability Resource Center representation if one exists in the state
    • Protection & Advocacy agency representation
    • Long-term care ombudsman representation
    • NIDILRR-funded TBI Model System Center representation if one exists in the state
 
Mission
To understand, educate, and advocate for the needs of all Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æns regarding traumatic and acquired brain injury.
 
Purpose
The purpose of the Statewide TABI Advisory Council is to engage in advocacy at the state and federal level and to create a vision for Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ’s system of supports for persons with TABI. The TABI Advisory Council will support the development of an Annual State Plan for Brain Injury as well as the development of a state TBI registry, both of which are requirements of the federal TBI State Partnership grant.
 
History
The Statewide TABI Advisory Council is a requirement of the federal TBI State Partnership grant with the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The UAA Center for Human Development is the current state grantee for the federal grant. The Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Brain Injury Network (ABIN) served as the statewide TABI Advisory Council since 2001, when Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ was awarded its first federal TBI grant. ABIN became a non-profit organization in 2003. The State of Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Division of Senior and Disabilities Services (SDS) is the designated the lead agency for TBI in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ and ABIN functioned as the Advisory Council under a Memorandum of Agreement with SDS. From May 2019 to May 2020, the Advisory Council was under the purview of the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education (GCDSE) and staffed by the UAA Center for Human Development. Beginning June 2020, the TABI Advisory Council moved to the UAA Center for Human Development. The Council currently has 26 members, of which 42% are persons with brain injury or family members. The Council has a total of 21 voting members, of which 52% are persons with brain injury.
 
  • Voting Members
    Voting members include TABI survivors, family members, medical providers, and representatives of the following agencies and organizations:
     
    • Access Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ
    • Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Native Tribal Health Consortium
    • Daybreak
    • Disability Law Center
    • Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
    • Fairbanks Reentry Coalition
    • Helmets on Heads
    • Katmai Eye
    • Maniilaq
    • Providence Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Medical Center
    • SERRC
    • Shepherd Center
    • Southcentral Foundation
    • Southeast Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Independent Living
    • State Long Term Care Ombudsman
    • Statewide Independent Living Council
    • Stone Soup Group
  • Non-voting Members
    Non-voting members include TABI survivors, family members, medical providers, and representatives of the following agencies and organizations:
     
    • Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Mental Health Trust Authority
    • Concussion Legacy Foundation
    • State of Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Division of Public Health, Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
    • State of Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Senior & Disability Services
    • Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ
 

Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ State Plan for Brain Injury

The FY26-30 Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ State Plan for Brain Injury was finalized in September 2025. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the plan and provided public comment.

The State Plan is a document for everyone in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ. There is not one agency responsible for the completion of the plan. Instead, it explains where the greatest needs for improvement are. It is designed to be used by all agencies in the state to show where they could prioritize their efforts.

The full FY26-30 State Plan for Brain Injury is available for download here.

Past State Plan:

The full FY21-25 State Plan for Brain Injury is available for download here.

Resources, Training & Data

Resources

2024 Brain Injury Needs Assessment – Summary of Results

Head Injury ECHO for providers

Training

Post-Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Training Series with Amy L. Murphy, DO:

by Amy Kolarova, DO and Yevgeniya Sergeyenko, MD, MPH:

    • Training focused on brain injury as it relates to first responders. Topics covered include:
      • Concussion signs, symptoms and screening
      • What to do when symptoms overlap, e.g. alcohol induced memory loss versus post traumatic amnesia
      • Agitation management in brain injury and how this differs from other conditions  
      • How to support individuals with a history of brain injury

    • Includes tools for health care providers when working with adults or children with concussion and brain injury
    • Materials for patients about repeated head impacts and what to expect after a concussion

Data

Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Injury Prevention Facts: Traumatic Brain injuries in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ