Heading Forward: Community Connections
Information, Referral, Resources
Information and Referral (I&R) provides information about services and assists in connecting people with resources and services.
WA211 provides free and confidential Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) I&R Services.
📞 Dial 2-1-1 or (877) 211-9274 for support.
📺 Watch WA211 Information & Referral - Help is just a contact away to learn more.
📞 Dial 9-8-8 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for help during a crisis, emotional support, referrals, and resources.
🔗 Link in with Teen Link, a program of Crisis Connections that serves youth in Washington State. For teens by teens, volunteers are trained to listen to your concerns and talk with you about whatever’s on your mind. Dial (866) 833-6546 for Teen Link!
TBI Council News
📰 Upcoming TBI Council Meeting
Thursday, February 5, 2026, from 9 – 11:30am PST
Find meeting information and links at the bottom of the TBI Council page. We'd love to have you there!
📰 Upcoming Conference-Workshops
Registration is open for the Building Capacity: Brain Injury Conference-Workshop Series! This series explores the complex intersections of brain injury with domestic violence, justice system involvement, and caregiving.
Coming in 2026:
Friday, February 27th, 9am – 12pm PST: Justice Involvement and Beyond: Surviving the System, Building Resilience and Moving Forward
Friday, May 15th, 9am – 12pm PST: Complex Caregiving: When Brain Injury Meets Domestic Violence and Justice System Involvement
Please note: These conference-workshops address challenging topics through a brain injury lens, providing valuable insights and support for survivors, families, caregivers, and professionals. Sessions will include discussion of topics such as domestic violence, trauma, and the justice system. We encourage participants to practice self-care, and resources will be available.
All sessions run from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific Time. Sessions are designed for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of these important topics. ASL interpreters provided. View all webinar recordings in the Workshop Library.
📜 TBI Council Community Report 2025
In 2023, the TBI Council began publishing an annual Community Report. This report brings together data and results to increase awareness about the TBI Council's work and impact. Check out our most recent Community Report FY25!
Partnership Highlight
Family Caregiver Support Program
November is National Family Caregivers Month. It is a time to show support and to honor our nation's vital caregivers during National Family Caregivers Month. Join in acknowledging and honoring families who are often caregiving "around the clock". That means around-the-clock dedication, organization, responsibility, scheduling, and hands-on care. If you are helping care for a family member or friend, you are not alone! More than 820,000 Washington State citizens provide care to an adult who needs help with care. Below are a variety of ways to find some information, resources, and people that can help.
The Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP) is a service available to unpaid caregivers of adults needing care and living in Washington State. There are local Family Caregiver Support Program offices throughout the state staffed with caring and knowledgeable people who can help you:
Find local resources/services.
Find caregiver support groups and counseling.
Get training on specific caregiving topics.
Get respite care if you need a break.
Talk through specific issues you are having and offer practical information and caregiving suggestions.
Generally, these services are offered free or at low cost. Certain eligibility requirements may apply and availability varies from community to community.
Find the telephone number for your local Family Caregiver Support Program.
Why would you contact them?
Providing unpaid care to a family member or friend can be emotionally and physically draining and can be an isolating time. Staff with the FCSP program can provide information, support, and services that can be a lifesaving resource. Find the local FCSP and more Caregiver Resources here.
Community Connections
Upcoming Webinar on Supporting Students
Register now for Enhancing School Psychologists’ Capacity to Identify and Support Students with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from Early Childhood to School Age on November 21 at 8AM PST featuring Candice Campo, Ed.S. and Cuong Hoang, Ed.S.
Candice Campo is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist with over 10 years of experience working in schools across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oregon. She is passionate about system-level change, crisis prevention, and supporting students with TBIs. As a bilingual school psychologist, she has had the honor of working with learners from birth to age 21, spanning Early Intervention through Post-High programs.
Cuong Hoang has been a school psychologist for 12 years in California, Washington state, and Oregon. He has been a member of the Oregon TBI Educational Team for the past 10 years. He is passionate about supporting students with TBI as well as incorporating dialectical behavior therapy and restorative practice in the school system.
Take the Age-Friendly Survey!
In 2024, Washington received designation as an Age- and Dementia-Friendly state from AARP and USAging/Dementia-Friendly America. This was the beginning of a process to help us build communities that support dignity, independence, and connection for all. Now, we’re looking for your input as we consider what new programs and policies could better support older adults and people living with dementia across the state.
Becoming part of AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities and USAging/Dementia-Friendly America networks enters Washington into collaborations that will help people in our state thrive in their communities.
A next step in this important initiative is to develop an Age- and Dementia-Friendly Washington Action Plan by late fall 2026. This Action Plan will enable and empower us to prepare our communities for the future. The goal is to give every person the confidence to live well as they age and provide them with the resources to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The Age- and Dementia-Friendly Washington partners and Advisory Group are now hosting an online survey to gather input to inform the development of the Action Plan. The online survey will be launched on or around November 3, in nine languages.
Take the survey now through the end of November!
Learn more from the Dementia Society of American about traumatic brain injury and dementia.
Check out the Washington State Transition Map!
The Washington State Rehabilitation Council (WSRC) has launched the Washington State Transition Map. This co-branded resource is a one-page summary to help individuals and families learn about, compare, and connect to key job transition services that students may be eligible for as they prepare to leave high school.
It highlights key transition programs provided by DSHS’ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Developmental Disabilities Administration, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Department of Services for the Blind and includes the following information for each:
Program eligibility
Services included
How it will help individuals to get or maintain employment and continued education and training, and
How to apply
Additionally, it serves as a valuable tool for disability support resources and agencies to establish meaningful connections with transition services to support individuals with disabilities in securing and maintaining employment.
The Washington State Transition Map is available on our website as a digital download and is available in 11 languages.
For questions, please contact WSRC staff at wsrc@dshs.wa.gov or (866) 252-2939.
Art Day with HeadStrong, HTC, & Imaginal Network
🗓️ Nov 15, 1 – 4pm PST: Join a fun Saturday afternoon making holiday cards and painted rocks with HeadStrong, Heartfelt Tidbits of Creativity, and Imaginal Network.
Mindfulness for Veterans & Military Families
The WDVA Brain Injury & Recovery-TBI Program supports and represents every veteran in WA State who has incurred a Brain Injury or is experiencing symptoms. For info and support, email braininjuryrecovery@dva.wa.gov
🗓️ Nov 20, 10 – 11am PST: Mindfulness for TBI Survivors: Healing Together - Veterans, Families and Caregivers
Join and learn what mindfulness is, the essential elements of mindfulness practice and what science says about how mindfulness can ease and address the symptoms most common to brain injury. We will practice thinking and physical techniques and learn how our senses can increase our awareness of the present moment.
Safety & Fun with Safe Kids
Every day, kids get hurt having fun - riding their bike, playing sports, playing on the playground with friends. For many years, Safe Kids Washington has been at the forefront of child safety. Find your local Safe Kids information here.
💪 How? Local Leaders Creating Sustainable Coalitions
Safe Kids uses a local community-based coalition model where community members work with a local Safe Kids coordinator on topics of child safety that are important and relevant to that community. The TBI Council is an active partner in these efforts. View the annual report on our Safe Kids-TBI Partnership (PDF)
🚙 Car Seat Inspections & Distribution
If you need to have a seat install check or looking for a low-cost seat, visit https://wacarseats.com to find a local car seat inspection and distribution service near you. To get tips and recommendations of the right fit and installation for a car safety seat for your child visit the Safe Kids Ultimate Car Seat Guide.
⚠️ Product Recalls & Safety Warnings
Safe Kids Washington is a partner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to address injury prevention for child consumer products. If you have a question or concern about a product or need assistance in filing a report on a product with the Consumer Product Safety Commission you can reach out to us at safekidswashington@doh.wa.gov.
You can find the latest recalls and safety warnings or subscribe to the email listserv by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls.
🦺 Traffic Safety Gardens
Check out the Traffic Garden Toolkit, a resource guide for pop-up and permanent traffic gardens, developed in collaboration by community partners and the TBI Council.
More languages available at the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Publication Library.
Add a traffic safety garden to your spring and summer events!
💻 Learning and Education Resources
Check out the Safe Kids Washington online learning modules!
Topics include pedestrian safety, brain injury guide for parents, emergency preparedness, fall prevention, winter safety, farm safety, child passenger safety, playground safety, sports safety, traffic safety gardens, water safety, and bike safety, and more!
Looking for Local Safe Kids Resources?
🚗 Free Car Seat Check with Safe Kids Lower Columbia!
Our last car seat clinic of 2025 will be on Saturday, November 15, from 10am to 12pm at Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, located at 701 Vine St in Kelso. Qualifying participants will receive one free car seat per car/family thanks to a generous donation by the Junior League of Lower Columbia. Visit the Safe Kids Lower Columbia Facebook or contact (360) 575-6280 for more info.
🚗 Free Car Seat Clinic with Benton-Franklin Health District!
Safe Kids Benton-Franklin offers free car seat safety checks by appointment. Community car seat clinics are held on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10 am to 2 pm at Kadlec Regional Medical Center parking garage. Book your appointment online or drop in on a first-come-first serve basis. Car seats and booster seats may be available for low-income families who qualify. Contact (509) 460-4200 for more info.
Resources
Check Out TBI InfoComics!
💥 TBI InfoComics educate and inform about common symptoms of traumatic brain injury and ways to manage them. TBI InfoComics cover several topic areas, including:
💥 TBI InfoComics are also offered in Spanish!
Return to School with the Center on Brain Injury Research & Training (CBIRT)
❗ A brain injury, including concussion, can change the way a student behaves, moves, thinks, and learns. These changes can lead to challenges in a student’s ability to succeed at school. The more educators know about brain injury the better prepared they will be to support students with brain injury in their classroom.
✔️ Return to School (RTS) is designed for Washington educators, parents and community providers who support students with brain injury. Here you can register for upcoming events, view past webinars, and download resources like the Brain Injury Management Toolkit. The site includes the In the Classroom course for educators, which is approved for 10 clock hours. Work at your own pace, on your own schedule. All resources are provided free of charge.
Equity & Belonging
🌳 Explore the Office of Equity and Washington for All - a collaborative site across Washington State agencies and community organizations - your number one stop for resources that serve everyone in Washington state. Resources to help you thrive!
Struggling with Caregiver Burnout? Need Someone to Relate?
Check out Washington Caregiving Journey and find Caregiver Support Groups here.
💞 Find more Caregiver Resources here.
Want More on Brain Injury?
🧠 Explore the TBI Capable Caregiver for Brain Injury training curriculum available in 13 languages and more learning resources here
🧠 Learn about concussion care with Concussion Navigator
🧠 Learn about Cognitive Strategies for Criminal Justice Professionals
🧠 Access webinars from the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
🧠 Access webinars from the Brain Injury Association of America
🧠 Check out updated guidance on Communicating about Brain Injury
Opportunities to Serve
Explore and share Current and Upcoming Gubernatorial Appointment Opportunities!
Anyone interested in being appointed will need to fill out this Application. Check out the Boards and Commissions Profiles if you are interested in learning more about the TBI Council or any other opportunities to get involved! Reach out to Boards and Commissions staff at GovernorBoardsandCommissions@gov.wa.gov with any questions you might have.