Richmond, VA: Local DVBIC Activities

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) has divided the United States into catchment areas with an assigned Educational Coordinator and Regional Care Coordinator assigned to each. The Educational Coordinator and the Regional Care Coordinator, located at the Richmond Veterans Administration Medical Center, are assigned the region of Virginia (excluding Northern Virginia) and North Carolina.

Regional Care Coordinator

The Regional Care Coordinator serves as a single point of contact for the service member and their family regardless of their status in the Department of Defense (DoD), Veterans Administration (VA) and civilian healthcare network, and acts as a consultant to the patient, family, case manager and provider regarding traumatic brain injury (TBI) care and resources. Additional responsibilities include:

• Monitoring the care continuum for traumatic brain injury to include potential rehabilitation needs, education, advocacy and support for service members with TBI and their families from injury to return to duty and/or re-entry into the community
• Assisting in management of a national active duty and veteran TBI database
• Providing follow up for all DVBIC TBI patients who reside within their region and coordinating care with the local case manager within the DOD and VA system
• Screening regional inquiries and providing assessment and referral services to regionally located TBI beneficiaries
• Identifying barriers and or gaps in service delivery for TBI service members as they transition between systems and settings
• Developing and maintaining an up to date comprehensive regional resource bank of TBI services and programs which are available to the active duty and veteran population within their catchment area
• Identifying and connecting service members to available TBI resources within DoD, VA and civilian communities
• Providing education and support serving as a TBI resource to all involved in the care and support of the service member and family
• Conducting trainings and presentations related to TBI and care coordination
• Participating in professional activities, including providing training and attending professional conferences on behalf of DVBIC

Regional Education Coordinator

The Regional Education Coordinator serves as the traumatic brain injury education resource for service members, their families, spouses, staff, and the military and civilian communities. Primary responsibility is to coordinate, facilitate and/or provide TBI education for providers, clinicians and all members of the healthcare team who are involved in the care of service members and veterans with traumatic brain injury throughout the Virginia and North Carolina area. Additional responsibilities include:

• Conducting outreach activities within region to develop opportunities to provide TBI education and information about DVBIC programs/services
• Providing consultation to military and veterans sites related to TBI educational issues
• Fostering positive, working relationships with outside organizations, service providers and VA staff
• Attending community events and conferences to build awareness about DVBIC