Pre-hospital and trauma care: Persons in Mississippi who sustain traumatic brain injury are transported to appropriate medical facilities by emergency medical services (EMS). EMS is Mississippi is overseen by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), one of our collaborating agencies. The MSDH ensures that appropriate standards of care are maintained and that appropriate medical data are recorded and transmitted to emergency departments as well as to the MSDH. The MSDH TBI Surveillance Program has access to all patient records and assists the TBIMSM with data collection. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) is the primary affiliated trauma center for the TBIMSM. UMC is a 665 bed diagnostic and treatment referral center that serves the entire state. UMC has recently added a new trauma tower that houses medical, cardiac, neuroscience, and surgical intensive care units as well as all needed support services. As the only Level 1 trauma center in Mississippi, UMC receives more patients with TBI than any other facility in Mississippi. UMC provides care to more than 220 persons with TBI yearly. Forrest General Hospital (FGH) is an additional affiliated trauma center for the TBIMSM. FGH is a level 2 trauma center.

Comprehensive rehabilitation: Methodist Rehabilitation Center (MRC is a private, not-for-profit rehabilitation hospital that is directly connected to UMC. MRC was founded in 1975 and is the only freestanding rehabilitation hospital in Mississippi. MRC operates a 124 bed inpatient facility that is accredited by JCAHO and CARF. Patients with TBI transferred from UMC or FGH to MRC are admitted to the 24 bed Brain Injury Program which is the only specialized inpatient brain injury rehabilitation program in the state. The Brain Injury Program is staffed by a team of rehabilitation nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, social workers, and nurse case managers who work exclusively, or at least primarily, in this program. Respiratory therapy, therapeutic recreation, chaplaincy, and orthotics services are provided by in-house personnel. Medical specialty consultation is available from UMC faculty who walk over through the indoor plaza connecting the facilities. MRC's commitment to charity care permits admission of numerous non-resource patients.

Post-Acute Services in Rehabilitation: Patients who live in the greater Jackson area receive outpatient therapies at the MRC Outpatient Rehabilitation Center or receive community integration services in the MRC Quest Program. All patients are scheduled to return to MRC for follow-up physician and neuropsychology clinics. The MRC Quest Program is a specialized post-acute brain injury rehabilitation program that facilitates return to independent living and productive activities for persons with acquired brain injury. Quest Program staff includes neuropsychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and vocational specialists. The Quest Program provides services to more than 50 persons each year and about two-thirds of these are persons with TBI. The Quest Program is the only community integration program for person with acquired brain injury in Mississippi. The TBIMSM has a close collaborative relationship with the Brain Injury Association of Mississippi (BIA-MS). BIA-MS staff and members provide input and ongoing review for TBIMSM research and dissemination activities. TBIMSM and BIA-MS provide workshops to persons with TBI, family members, healthcare providers, and others as collaborative projects. TBIMSM staff write a regular column for the BIA-MS quarterly newsletter. All these efforts are dedicated to improving functional outcomes and quality of life for persons with TBI in Mississippi.

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