EPIC > Office on Disability and Health

California’s Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Surveillance Program was funded August 1997 through August 2004, by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The CDC funds states to conduct standardized central nervous system injury surveillance.  The California system aims to provide information about brain injuries, one of the most serious kinds of injuries.  Brain injuries not only cause many deaths, but they also lead to a great number of permanent disabilities and cause much suffering and expense.  The TBI surveillance system uses available sources of data on fatal brain injuries (the multiple cause of death files) and nonfatal brain injuries (hospital discharge files) to describe these injuries.  This information is especially useful in planning and evaluating programs to reduce head injuries such as bicycle, motorcycle helmets, and auto passenger restraint systems.

For more information on this program or the data we collect, contact us at epic@dhs.ca.gov.