Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, in partnership with the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, officially launched Brain Injury Awareness Month March 6 during an open house at the Intrepid Pavilion, reaffirming the ongoing commitment of both organizations to providing world-class TBI care to servicemembers. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and the open house event highlighted several organizations and their efforts to prevent TBI as well as provide care to those servicemembers who have sustained a brain injury. Since 2000, more than 294,000 servicemembers have sustained a traumatic brain injury, with about 80 percent occurring in the at home environment, according to Col. Sidney Hinds, II, DVBIC national director. These numbers indicate the militarys role in supporting veterans, wounded warriors, and their Families, which becomes increasingly more important as the brain injury research advances. Clearly, we are not going to stop seeing traumatic brain injuries even in times of no war, said Navy Capt. Jennifer Vedral-Baron, Belvoir hospital director. So that means despite any operations tempo, we have a lot of work to do, and that work continues daily. Despite the increase in the numbers of TBI in both the military and the civilian population over the past decade, the … Continue reading →

Pete Benda suffered a traumatic brain injury and a severely broken femur when he fell 30 feet Oct, 26, 2012. He was setting up theater lights when he fell. His family is grateful for all the help and support they have received at Primary Children's Hospital. Pete Benda SANDY Nearly 18 months ago, Pete Benda, a freshman at Juan Diego Catholic High School, fell 30 feet while getting lights ready for a theater production. The 15-year-old suffered a severely broken femur and a traumatic brain injury. At first, Pete's family was told he may never wake up from a coma. Today, he's not only surviving, he's thriving. Pete joked around with his parents Monday as he cooked some eggs in their Sandy home. Im the 0.5 percent, he said. We say Petes our miracle, said his mother, Chris Benda. After Pete's accident Oct. 26, 2012, he was taken to a hospital for 2 weeks. But when they started talking about nursing homes, they moved him to Primary Childrens Hospital, which has a neurorehabilitation unit on the second floor. "We say the first hospital saved his life, but Primary Childrens saved our boy, Chris Benda said. Go here to see the … Continue reading →

Knoxville, TN (PRWEB) March 13, 2014 March is Brain Injury Awareness Month hosted by the Brain Injury Association of America. Brookhaven Retreat recognizes that emotional injuries to the brain can be just as damaging as physical injuries. This month, Brookhaven Retreat focuses on the various methods used to heal women who suffer from emotional brain injuries such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder results from experiencing traumatic events. It is an anxiety disorder that may begin immediately after a trauma, but can even show up years later. PTSD prevents the body from healing itself from trauma, leaving long-term changes to the brain. According to research, women are at higher risk for developing PTSD. Nearly half of all women experience a traumatic event in their life including, sexual assault. Although PTSD can co-occur with other mental health issues such as borderline personality disorder, substance abuse and depression, it is important to differentiate them and avoid common misdiagnoses. Repeated or pro-longed trauma hinders the development of effective interpersonal skills, emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills. Women suffering from PTSD relive the trauma through night terrors and flashbacks. Women may try to avoid trigger events, isolating themselves, or turn to substance abuse … Continue reading →