There's almost too much to blog about here -- and there's certainly too much to blog about in detail -- at the page on NASHIA's recent 2007 State-of-the-States conference.

What is NASHIA? It's the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (and I bet you didn't know there was even one state head injury administrator, let alone a whole national association):

TBI is a complex disability that challenges States’ ability to respond to the needs of persons with TBI and their families. These individuals need services that cross multiple programs including Medicaid, vocational rehabilitation, employment, education, home health care, mental health, substance abuse, and long-term care programs. Without coordinated systems of care, individuals are often placed inappropriately into nursing homes or left to the families to care for without much support or assistance. When families are no longer able to care for these individuals, the families turn to the State, which is generally the only resource for these crisis situations.

In 1990 NASHIA became the first and remains the only forum addressing State government’s significant role in brain injury. NASHIA is the premier source of information and education for State Agency employees who are responsible for public brain injury policies, programs, and services. NASHIA is also the voice of State government in Federal TBI policy issues.

NASHIA reaches out to all State Agency employees who interact with individuals with brain injury and welcomes membership by advocates, professionals, and organizations with an interest in State and local policy and service delivery.

(From the About NASHIA page)

The theme of the September conference this year was "Gateway to Solutions: Doing What Works." Many presentations from the conference are available as (often large) MS Powerpoint files and/or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) documents.

The first day's presentations focused largely on TBI and the military (a subject which we've covered here regularly). Topics:

• Veterans and TBI
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• The True Welcome Home (Missouri's State Veterans Ombudsman and "Operation Outreach" program)
• Heart of a Hero
• States Panel ("how four States have encountered challenges and opportunities in bridging the gap between current systems for veterans with TBI")

Day 2 moved on to some other topics:

• CDC Update: TBI Resources from the CDC and How You Can Use Them
• TBI in Jails and Prisons: Ethics and Implications of Screening
• TBI and Aging
• Behavioral Issues after Brain Injury: Where To From Here?
• TBI and the Substance Abuse System
• Domestic Violence and the Link to the World of TBI
• Assistive Technology and Employment
• Having Our Say: Consumer-Directed Services and People with Brain Injury
• Mining the Online TBI Collaboration Space (TBICS) to Find Publication Gems
• Homelessness and Acquired Brain Injury: Identification, Needs Assessment, and Case Management
• TBI is a Community Health Issue
• Protection and Advocacy Work with Veterans
• Shaken Baby Prevention Initiatives

...and there were still Friday and Saturday to come!

Visit the NASHIA conference page for links to the presentations themselves. And while you're there, also see their page of information on yet more conferences which they sponsor. Excellent resource.

Labels: conferences, government, Iraq veterans, resources, TBI