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Brain Injury Awareness Month

Be a Brain Warrior: Protect, Treat, Optimize

The Department of Defense commits to the protection, and the health and well-being of our people to maximize our ability to defend the nation. Brain health is critical to overall mission readiness. Service members should learn the causes and symptoms of traumatic brain injury, or commonly known as TBI. Knowing when to seek care contributes to overall brain health. Even a mild TBI can have long-lasting effects and may affect whether a service member is ready to deploy if not diagnosed and treated.

In 2023, DHA launched the Warfighter Brain Health Hub, providing a single source for brain health resources from across the Military Health System.

DHA encourages health care providers to learn about TBI diagnosis and treatment protocols, while also encouraging service members to make sure they understand the risks, signs, and impacts of TBI, throughout their military careers.

Message for Communicators

  • Our efforts require a total picture—before, during and after any brain exposure, potentially concussive event, or injury. 
  • DOD continues its commitment to deliver programs and services intended to reduce risks to the brain, monitor exposures, and document for long-term review. 
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries are treatable, and recovery is expected with appropriate care.  
  • The Military Health System leads in the research and treatment of brain-related injuries. 
  • Most people who suffer a mild TBI (also known as a concussion) recover completely. 
  • Our service members have only one brain in their lifetime. We must do everything in our power to protect it. 
  • Enhancing the brain health and performance of American service members is an avenue to secure a critical advantage over our adversaries. 
  • Educating service members to self-identify and report potential brain injuries is the quickest way to close the gap between hazardous brain exposures, identifying injuries, and starting treatments. 
  • DHA is a leader in brain health research and treating and understanding the impact brain trauma quickly and effectively. 
  • Since 2000, more than 485,000 service members have sustained a TBI (through Q2 2023). 
  • The DOD promotes and protects the health and well-being of our nation's armed forces, dedicating significant resources to close knowledge gaps about TBI.  
  • The Acute Concussion Care Pathway standardizes TBI diagnosis and treatment across the continuum of care.  
  • Commanders and unit leaders have the authority and resources to provide service members the brain health support the need to stay in the fight. 
  • We must educate service members to identify and report potential injuries after training and operations. 
  • Symptoms of a TBI may reappear or worsen if military training and sports or recreational activities are resumed too quickly. 
  • TBI is considered one of the signature wounds of war in the 21st century, which presents complex and challenging problems for many of our service members. 

Graphics for BIAM Awareness

Please download and share these graphics and suggested social media content on your own social media channels to participate in the conversation on TBI awareness. Feel free to use the images that best reflect the service components supported by your MTF and installation and pick the social copy you prefer to accompany that image.

To download high-res versions of the graphics, click on the image below, and click on the “open” button on the page that opens. Then, you can right click the image and select “save image as” and you will have the best quality version to use on your own channel.

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Fact Sheet
Aug 6, 2020

Respect the Road

.PDF | 599.84 KB

One of the leading causes of military traumatic brain injury is motor vehicle crashes. This car safety fact sheet provides tips to help prevent TBI while driving a motor vehicle and safety measures to take to keep passengers safe. It also includes the signs and symptoms of TBI, and how to get help if you think you sustained a brain injury.

Recommended Content A Head for the Future Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence TBICoE Training Events TBI Resources for Service Members, Families, and Caregivers Brain Injury Awareness Month
Last Updated: February 06, 2024
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