Programs
Oklahoma
TBI Lead Agency
Dept. of Health
Injury Prevention Service
1000 NE 10th St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299
Ruth Azeredo, DrPH
TBI Services System Project Director
405-271-3430
405-271-2799 (Fax)
RuthA@health.ok.gov
Service Delivery
In Oklahoma individuals with TBI with intermediate/long-term service needs apply to State Agencies and programs offering services to persons with other disabilities. Individuals with TBI need to meet the eligibility criteria of those programs. Individuals who meet eligibility criteria can currently access one of four other waivers. Process includes: self or caretaker referral to DHS for in-home services; nurse conducts comprehensive Needs and Resources Assessment; findings given to the Long Term Care Authority for approval/disapproval.
The State is in the process of developing a TBI Medicaid Waiver. Current efforts for a waiver are focused on obtaining evidence of need through collaboration of the TBI Program and DHS in conducting in-residence assessments of a random sample (from surveillance data) of 50 individuals with brain injury to determine their community care needs. The report will be reviewed by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (Medicaid) for next steps.
Find out more information on this State's services in its current profile by clicking here. [PDF 50KB]. You can also order a hardcopy of our latest "Guide to State Government Brain Injury Policies, Funding and Services" for profiles of all States and much more.
HRSA-Funded Projects
Oklahoma received a Planning Grant beginning in 1997, an Implementation Grant in 1999, and Post-Demonstration Grants 2003-04. The overall goal of the implementation project was to establish a comprehensive, coordinated service system to increase availability and access to services across all phases of care from injury event to ongoing community services, improve referral patterns, increase knowledge and awareness of TBI and its consequences, and develop an efficacious TBIspecific information and resource network. Briefly, these grants involved: 1) a pre-discharge project in some hospitals to improve discharge planning, service referral practices, informational resources, and to track potential problems for patients and families (and ED follow up study to determine problems and service needs); 2) development and distribution of information to increase knowledge and awareness of TB/ consequences and issues among providers, patients, families, public, hospitals, county health departments, support groups, legislators, etc, developed police curriculum and trained police, firefighters and EMS on TBI effects at injury and long-term; developed TBI training curriculum for rehabilitation students; 3) strengthened BIA-OK, provider and consumer satisfaction survey, information materials at all points of care; 4) developed and implemented a vocational rehabilitation (VR) curriculum; and explored funding mechanisms for TBI catastrophic/rehabilitative/ community services, focusing on community services. The Post-Demonstration Grant focused on: 1) conducting a follow up study of children 18 years and younger discharged live from three university hospitals (basic medical information collected from surveillance system) over 2 ½ years to determine status and service needs; and 2) developing a method to screen selected schools for children with head injury to provide information and to give two-hour instruction to all teachers; enhance services for older age groups; and to increase knowledge of TBI and improve access to services among Native Americans. The distribution of information materials was expanded and assistance to providers and customers about TBI and potential resources increased. These activities continued during April-August 2004 funded by OSDH.
Find more information on this State's project in its current grant profile.
Promising Practices
Improved discharge planning practices and services referral across system. Increased knowledge among EMS/EDS on TBI care.
