North Carolina's TBI project ACCESS. Assuring coordinated care, education, and support for survivors of pediatric...

Over the past three years, families, school staff, and healthcare personnel in our state have benefited from an innovative service delivery system designed to demonstrate that we can improve the lives of children with TBI. Project ACCESS has used hospital-based pediatric brain injury Community Transition Coordinators to identify, coordinate care, educate, support, and generally improve the lives of thousands of children with TBI. The project also uncovered a host of barriers that adversely affect the future of many of North Carolina's most vulnerable children. We hope that this article helps delineate the challenges faced by our state's healthcare and educational systems, and contributes to the adoption of a statewide model system of care for children with brain injury.