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Bucks County Has More Brain Injury Help Than Most Families Ever Find

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit's BrainSTEPS team has worked with more than 1,100 local students trying to get back to class after a brain injury. Roughly four out of five of those cases began with a concussion. The team was one of only four in Pennsylvania, and the only one in the southeastern part of the state, to receive the program's inaugural Exceptional Performance Award.

Survivors and families gathered around tables at a Triumph In Recovery craft night

Survivors and families at a Triumph In Recovery craft night in Bucks County.

BrainSTEPS is one part of a wider network of state programs, nonprofits and support groups available to brain injury survivors and their families in and around Bucks County. This guide lays out where each one fits.

The need is large. Traumatic brain injury contributed to more than 69,000 deaths in the United States in 2021, about 190 every day, and falls account for nearly half of all TBI-related hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with a moderate or severe TBI can face effects that last for years or for life, and many need ongoing rehabilitation.

One number to call first

The Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania runs a toll-free Brain Injury Resource Line at 1-800-444-6443. Volunteers staff the line and give resource information to anyone who calls, including survivors and the people caring for them. The association also keeps a statewide list of support groups by region and helps families with the pre-enrollment process for the state's Head Injury Program.

Money for rehab, from Harrisburg

Pennsylvania's Department of Health runs the Head Injury Program, which funds services through contracted providers to help people with a traumatic brain injury live independently at home and in their communities.

The eligibility rules are specific. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, must have been Pennsylvania residents both when they were injured and when they apply, must have been injured after July 2, 1985, must meet income guidelines and must have exhausted other financial resources for head injury care. The program also sets a minimum age, and published state listings differ on whether that age is 18 or 21, so families should confirm it directly.

The enrollment line is 1-866-412-4755. An enrollment specialist asks a few screening questions and mails an application, and a pre-enrollment assistance coordinator then follows up to help complete it and point the family to other statewide resources.

Back to the classroom

For students, the local resource is the Bucks IU BrainSTEPS team, made up of experienced professionals and Certified Brain Injury Specialists who guide school teams as they bring students with brain injuries back into the classroom. Statewide, more than 230 brain injury educational consultants serve on regional BrainSTEPS teams.

Parents and guardians can request support through their school district or by calling the Bucks IU at 215-348-2940, ext. 2085.

Guests painting together at a Triumph In Recovery craft night

Painting, conversation and company at a Triumph In Recovery craft night.

Rooms full of people who have been there

Support groups put survivors and caregivers in the same room as people who have lived through the same injury. Triumph In Recovery founder Tim Chiarolanza attends the brain injury and stroke support group at Bryn Mawr Rehab every month and recommends it to other survivors. Led by Dr. Janet Belitsky, the group meets virtually once a month, so families can join from anywhere in Bucks County. For an in-person option, one established group just north of the county is the Lehigh Valley Head Trauma Support Group, which meets on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Center Valley. It is open to adults with brain injuries, their families and friends, and rehabilitation professionals, and newcomers can contact organizer Mitchell Renninger at 610-242-0873.

For groups closer to home, the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania's regional listings are the most complete starting point.

Tim Chiarolanza with a guest at a Triumph In Recovery craft night

Tim Chiarolanza, co-founder and President of Triumph In Recovery, at a craft night.

A Doylestown nonprofit started by a survivor

Triumph In Recovery launched in September 2024 as a state-approved nonprofit supporting survivors of traumatic brain injury, major trauma and stroke. Its founder, Tim Chiarolanza, is a Warminster native who was given a 1% chance of survival after a car struck him in Williamsport in 2021. He now serves as a peer mentor at Bryn Mawr Rehab.

The organization supports survivors and their families through education, rehabilitation information and community outreach, and it hosts community events, including a yearly craft night cohosted with the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. It is based at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks County, 3805 Old Easton Road in Doylestown, and can be reached at triumphinrecovery@gmail.com.

Before the first month is out

  • Call the Brain Injury Resource Line at 1-800-444-6443.
  • Call the Head Injury Program at 1-866-412-4755 to ask about eligibility.
  • If the survivor is a student, ask the school district about a BrainSTEPS referral.
  • Choose one support group or community event to attend.
  • Email Triumph In Recovery at triumphinrecovery@gmail.com.

Triumph In Recovery relies on donations to reach the next family. To support its work, visit triumphinrecovery.com and select Donate.

Keep reading

Sources

  1. Patch, "Bucks IU Awarded BrainSTEPS Exceptional Performance Award." https://patch.com/pennsylvania/doylestown/bucks-iu-awarded-brainsteps-exceptional-performance-award
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Facts About TBI," updated August 4, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/traumatic-brain-injury/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
  3. Washington County Community Foundation, "Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania." https://wccf.net/charities/brain-injury-association-of-pennsylvania
  4. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania (BIAPA)." https://chop.edu/health-resources/brain-injury-association-pennsylvania-biapa
  5. Pennsylvania Department of Health, "The Pennsylvania Head Injury Program (HIP): Information for Individuals." https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Programs/Head%20Injury%20Program%20elig%20enroll%20contact.pdf
  6. PA 211, "Pennsylvania Department of Health, Rehabilitation Services." https://search.pa211.org/search/47756697-7bb6-5c7a-bef1-de6c20cf09bb
  7. Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, "Lehigh Valley Head Trauma Support Group Meetings." https://www.goodshepherdrehab.org/about-us/events/lehigh-valley-head-trauma-support-group-meetings/