At two pilot projects in Flagstaff and Tucson, OCSHCN service coordinators are collaborating with hospital staff and school nurses personnel to develop protocols that will more effectively meet the needs of children who have special health care needs and their families. The intent is to identify families where the child has received a mild or moderate traumatic brain injury, and offer services available in the community to assist with a variety of issues that might be facing the family. 

Arizona has a statutory definition of Traumatic Brain Injury in legislation:

A.R.S. Section 15-761 (37): "Traumatic Brain Injury:"

"(a) Means an acquired injury to the brain that is caused by an external physical force and that results in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects educational performance.  (b) Applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in mild, moderate or severe impairments in one or more areas, including cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem solving, sensory, perceptual and motor abilities, psychosocial behavior, physical functions, information processing and speech. (c) Does not include brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative or brain injuries induced by birth trauma."

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs at (602) 542-1860.