The Jason Foundation’s Brain Injury Services of Southwest
Virginia has extended its availability to the Third Planning
District, which includes the counties of Bland, Carroll, Grayson,
Smyth, Washington and Wythe.
Special funding has allowed the foundation that helps people with
brain injuries and their families to expand in District III by
adding an additional full-time position to serve this six-county
area.
Fran Rooker, president of The Jason Foundation and founder of the
Brain Injury Services of SWVA, said the additional funding "means
that now people with brain injuries and their families in your area
have access to specialized case management services. There is no fee
for this service."
According to Rooker, part-time services began last November with
a case manager located in the Appalachian Independent Living Center
in Abingdon. Now, state grants have expanded that position to full
time, and added an additional position for the District Three
counties.
"This is the core critical service Greg and I wished we had to
assist and support our family after Jason’s injury. Our goal has
been to grow this service throughout Southwest Virginia, funded in
part through state general funds…More and more people today are
living after brain injury. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as
we strive to help them and their families rebuild their lives."
The Rookers lost their son Jason two years after his accident
that resulted in a brain injury. They sought for knowledge about
such injuries and what resources are available, and were frustrated
at not being able to find a central location that would tell them
what they needed to know. After their son’s death, they started The
Jason Foundation to offer help and hope to others who were seeking
the same information. The Rookers are well known in the Wytheville
area, as Greg Rooker was owner/publisher of the Southwest
Virginia Enterprise for several years.
Through BISSWVA,
patients and their families can get support for behavior and mental
health, cognitive skills and communication, education and school
re-entry, employment and job training, health and medical services,
home modifications, mobility and transportation, recreation and
socialization, self-care and independent living, and volunteering.
Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia is also available to
people living in the Roanoke and New River valleys.
To contact The Jason Foundation, or for a free brochure, call
(540) 633-2225.
Contact case manager Kristen Gregory at (276) 628-2979, Ext. 307.
Linda Spiker can be reached at 228-6611 or lspiker@wythenews.com.