VA Secretary Addresses TBI Conference

VA Secretary Addresses Traumatic Brain Injury Conference

WASHINGTON (August 30, 2010) - Recognizing the longstanding, integrated
collaboration shared by the Department of Veterans Affairs and
Department of Defense, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki gave the keynote
address Monday at the fourth annual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Military Training Conference here.

"We--DoD and VA--simply cannot afford to be less than aggressive in our
effort to identify, treat and rehabilitate TBI victims," Shinseki told
the approximately 1,000 military, VA and civilian health care workers at
the conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center
(DVBIC).

The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center was established by
Congress in 1992. DoD and VA together offer clinical care, research and
education on traumatic brain injury. DVBIC is the operational component
of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and
Traumatic Brain Injury.

In praise of the collaborative DVBIC model, Secretary Shinseki said it
should be replicated for all military personnel transitioning to VA
care, and not just for TBI or burn care.

"When it comes to DoD's patients, there is a network of information and
hands-on human care," the Secretary said, "that helps a wounded warrior
transition from one system to the other-- from the battlefield to our
polytrauma centers."

There are DVBIC researchers assigned at each of the four VA Polytrauma
Rehabilitation Centers (Tampa, Richmond, Minneapolis and Palo Alto)
where they gather information regarding care of patients with TBI,
analyze and translate this information into recommendations to improve
care, and educate providers in implementing those improvements
clinically.

DVBIC and VA have shared, and continue to collaborate, on many
significant initiatives. Recent examples include developing and
implementing:

* Joint DoD/VA clinical practice guidelines for TBI;

* Materials and information for families and caregivers of
Veterans with TBI;

* Integrated education and training curriculum, and joint
training on TBI of VA and DoD heath care providers;

* A Congressionally-mandated 5-year pilot program to assess the
effectiveness of providing assisted living services to Veterans with
TBI;

* The TBI Screening tool used for all Veterans who served in
Iraq or Afghanistan and are receiving care within VA; and

* A specialized Emerging Consciousness Care program at the four
polytrauma centers to serve those Veterans with severe TBI who are also
slow to recover consciousness.