The TBI System of Support for Kids (TBI SOS 4 Kids) Model continues CBIRT’s work to positively impact the lives of individuals with brain injuries and their families. This work is sponsored through Toyota's Way Forward Fund.
The project aims to address challenges in pediatric TBI care by implementing and evaluating the effects of the TBI SOS 4 Kids model. The model has three components: (1) establishing a brain injury education support team, (2) brain injury education community outreach, and (3) developing a digital platform tool for sharing information and accessing resources. Initially the model will be implemented in the San Antonio, TX area.
The CBIRT team has a long history of positive system change within schools and communities. We have conceptualized each component of the TBI SOS model with sustainability and scalability in mind.
We are excited to undertake this work with colleagues and collaborators in Texas. According to the Texas Department of Health, each year, approximately 3,000 Texas children are hospitalized or seen in an emergency department following a brain injury. This number is most certainly a significant undercount because many children are never seen in a medical setting. Our goal is to increase the capacity of our partnered school district to recognize, intervene, and support children with TBI and to impact the broader community with the potential for transformative and sustainable change.
Project activities to date have included training over 300 school nurses in the San Antonio region, presentations at multiple conferences and summits, and the launch of the TBI SOS digital tool— a platform for the project team and partners to connect and share resources that support children's successful return to school and everyday life.