Brain Injury Association of Maryland

BIAMD responded to more than 3,500 phone calls, emails, and social media inquiries last year from individuals with brain injuries, their family members and professionals looking for help and guidance. BIAMD's informational website, www.biamd.org, consistently receives an average of over 3,000 visits per month. In FY 2024, BIAMD continued its weekly blogpost, #5ThoughtsFridays, to be distributed to over 6,000 individuals with brain injuries, family members, and healthcare providers statewide. BIAMD renewed and expanded its grants from the Maryland Department of Health, Behavioral Health Administration, now providing for four TBI Waiver Case Managers and a full-time administrator for the administration of the Maryland TBI Waiver Program. As a result of this renewal, BIAMD continues to provide a continuum of brain injury services. These services now include TBI Waiver enrollment and application assistance for individuals currently homeless or at risk of homelessness, in danger of incarceration, and/or inappropriately placed in restricted units of skilled nursing facilities. In addition, BIAMD continues to provide Case Management for the over 120 individuals currently receiving TBI Waiver services. Finally, in light of the challenges presented to the brain injury community as a result of the COVID19 pandemic, BIAMD launched several online initiatives including a bi-monthly podcast, Brain Injury Connector (now in its 5th season with over 50 episodes), an online webinar series directly addressing the needs and interests of those individuals with brain injury, and a weekly on-line, peer-support and social group, Check-In Chat, with an average attendance of 16 participants representing 5 states and the District of Columbia. This weekly online meeting was so successful, in FY22, it was extended from one-hour to two-hours and continues as of this writing to meet participant demand.