By Wendy Waldman, NeuroResource Facilitator at the Indiana University School of Medicine's Indiana State Brain Injury Program and President of the Brain Injury Association of Indiana
Nearly 3 million Americans sustain a brain injury each year, and more than 5 million live with long-term disability.1 Here in our Hoosier state, in 2023 alone, there were more than 23,000 cases of brain injury identified, including 1,463 deaths, 4,442 hospitalizations, and 17,846 emergency department visits2 - numbers that do not even capture those who go undiagnosed or untreated.
Brain injury is often referred to as an "invisible injury" or the "silent epidemic." Its effects are not always easy to see, which means many individuals are living with challenges that go unrecognized, undiagnosed, or misunderstood. We now understand that brain injury is not a one-time event like a broken limb - it is a chronic, dynamic condition. Its effects can evolve over time, impacting physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral health long after the initial injury.
For me, every day includes an aspect of brain injury awareness. I am both an individual with lived experience and a brain injury-specialized professional, so it is part of my everyday life, work, and purpose.
For more than 22 years, I have supported individuals impacted by brain injury in both professional and volunteer roles. I currently serve as a NeuroResource Facilitator at Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine and as president of the Brain Injury Association of Indiana. This work is more than a role - it is a lifelong commitment to advocacy, education, and walking alongside survivors and their families every step of the way.
In my roles, I had the opportunity to work with the Indiana Department of Health and the IU Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy to carry out the Indiana Brain Injury Needs Assessment - a comprehensive evaluation of the brain injury landscape across our state. This assessment gathered input from individuals with lived experience, family members and caregivers, and licensed healthcare professionals. We examined access to care and services, workforce capacity, barriers to care such as insurance and transportation, policy and system gaps, and available resources and supports. At its core, we asked two simple but critical questions: What do people with brain injury in Indiana need and where are the gaps in care?
After working in the brain injury field for many years, I was not surprised by the findings. The report confirmed that brain injury is a significant public health concern in Indiana, affecting tens of thousands of individuals each year. It also highlighted major gaps in access to care. Services and supports are often fragmented, with limited coordination between healthcare, community services, and long-term supports. There are also significant gaps in data, funding, and infrastructure.
Workforce challenges are another critical issue. Many professionals report having limited training or expertise in brain injury care and a lack of specialized certifications. There is currently no requirement for brain injury-specific education for providers in Indiana - something many professionals indicated would greatly improve the care they are able to deliver.
That said, this assessment is not just about identifying challenges - it is about driving action. The findings provide a data-driven roadmap to improve care and outcomes for Hoosiers living with brain injury. This work will help guide funding decisions, strengthen education and training, improve access to services and care coordination, and support the development of a more connected, statewide system of care.
For me, this is more than data - it is deeply personal. Every day, I see the realities behind the numbers: individuals striving to regain independence, families navigating complex systems, and communities working to better understand an often misunderstood injury.
This work represents an important step toward ensuring that every Hoosier impacted by brain injury has access to the care, support, and understanding they deserve. Through continued collaboration, advocacy, and education, we can shape a future where brain injury is more visible, better understood, and more effectively supported across Indiana.
If you or someone you know or work with has experienced a brain injury, please reach out for assistance. You can visit https://medicine.iu.edu/physiatry/neuroresource-facilitation or call 317-329-2235. You can also contact the Brain Injury Association of Indiana by clicking here or calling 317-410-3532.
1 Brain Injury Association of America and National Association of State Head Injury Administrators. (n.d.). The National Brain Injury Action Plan: Summary and Talking Points; Legislator Summary
2 Indiana Department of Health. (2025). Traumatic Brain Injuries in Indiana: 2023 Special Emphasis Report.
