Contact Us
Heather Bahme
BS (Retired U.S.Army)
Traumatic Brain Injury Program Specialist (Eastern Washington)
Office: 509-828-0449
Toll Free: (800) 562-2308
Heather.bahme@dva.wa.gov
VA Medical Centers:
Puget Sound VA Healthcare System
800-329-8387
Walla Walla
888-687-8863
Vancouver
800-949-1004
Spokane
800-325-7940
Tools
Statistics
July 2017 - June 2018
860 Veterans and Family Members Directly Served
674 TBI Screening completed
1767 Providers served
1397 Downloads of the Max Impact TBI Assistant smartphone app
Download the MAX Impact Mobile Application
Download the FREE Max Impact Mobile App! This app is your virtual service dog ready to help you find local resources, let you know of events happening in your area, teach you about brain injury and provide help in managing symptoms of TBI through games, meditation and more. Check out the videos below for more info!
Download the free app today at iTunes or Google Play
(The Max Impact app was made possible through a grant from the Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council at DSHS.)
What we do:
The WDVA TBI program serves to support and represent every veteran in Washington State that has incurred a Brain Injury.
That means that we:
- Provide one on one support
- Provide answers, resources and referrals
- Are always looking to be a part of any discussion that involves or affects the veterans with Brain Injury in this state.
- Support the groups and agencies that are out there doing great things for our vets by helping them get the word out through the Max Impact App.
- Are always looking to provide training and advice to any agency, group, summit, conference etc. that wants to know more about how to help the brain injured veteran.
Why we do it:
The veteran community experiences brain injury at a much higher rate than that of their civilian counterparts. These injuries often go undetected and underreported because they do not appear “severe” enough to warrant treatment. The blast injury, for example, is considered the signature injury of OEF/OIF and can cause brain damage with symptoms such as light sensitivity, migraines, difficulty with emotions and memory and will increase the risk of substance abuse, homeless and suicide to name a few yet many vets are unaware they have even been injured from having experienced a blast.
Resources:
- http://comics.tbi.washington.edu/
- http://www.caregiver.va.gov/
- https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/traumatic-brain-injury/traumatic-brain-injury-advisory-council
- http://dvbic.dcoe.mil/
- http://www.brainlinemilitary.org/
- http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/traumatic-brain-injury.asp
- Brain Injury Alliance of Washington State
- WDVA Behavioral Health Provider List
- https://www.concussionalliance.org/veterans/
- WDVA Traumatic Brain Injury / Acquired Brain Injury Fact Sheet