The Exchange for Thursday, Sept. 17, has ended. Our discussion ranged from explaining traumatic brain injuries to dispelling myths, discussing diagnoses, and explaining how to access care and services in our region.
On the show were guests who wanted to share their contact information with KNOM’s audience. Those guests were:
- Jetta Whittaker, the State of Alaska’s traumatic and acquired brain injury program manager with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. She can be reached at 907.465.1605 or 1.866.465.3165, or jetta.whittaker[at]alaska.gov.
- Tracy Golly, the Rural Resource Navigator at the Alaska Brain Injury Network. He can be reached at 907.274.2814 or 1.888.574.2824, or tgolly[at]alaskabraininjury.net.
- Jeanne Gerhardt-Cyrus, the program coordinator for Maniilaq’s Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury grant. She can be reached at 907.412.0419 or 1.888.575.2936, or jeanne.cyrus[at]maniilaq.org.
- Tara L. Stiller, Tribal TBI Patient Liaison with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She can be reached at 907.729.3257, or tlstiller[at]anthc.org.
Our calls today included Joanne in Unalakleet, who discussed a TBI she endured as a child and spoke about how it has impacted her throughout her life; Roger in Unalakleet, who asked our guests a question related to TBI service costs; Mina in Nome, who spoke of overwhelming physical and emotional pain due to a back injury; and Dan in Nome, who spoke of a near-death experience and possible TBI he suffered as a result.
It can happen while riding a four-wheeler or a snow machine. It can happen from a fight or while playing contact sports — or even from something as simple as a fall. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can cause physical and mental problems and even impact your emotions and behavior. And these injuries can often go undiagnosed.
This week on KNOM’s Exchange, we’re talking about TBI. We’ll have experts from the Alaska Brain Injury Network to answer your questions this Thursday morning, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m.
- Just what is considered a traumatic brain injury?
- Have you or anyone in your community been impacted by TBI?
- How can you tell if you have a brain injury?
- What services are available to help in our region?
Image used on Facebook and Twitter: “Brain page 368” by Flickr user Sue Clark, shared via Creative Commons CC BY 2.0.
