New traumatic brain injury center opens in Opelika

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services opens a Traumatic Brain Injury Center in Opelika, Thursday, August 6, 2026 – Photo from the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

OPELIKA, Ala. (WAKA) – The state’s second Traumatic Brain Injury Center has opened in Opelika, designed especially for veterans and other military personnel.

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, the Lee County Commission and the Auburn University School of Social Work celebrated the opening of the center yesterday, which is inside the Bennie G. Adkins Meeting Center at 205 South 10th Street.

ADRS Commissioner Jane Elizabeth Burdeshaw says the TBI Centers of Alabama are the first of their kind, not only in Alabama, but in the nation.

“We’re the first state to offer state traumatic brain injury services and resources free to veterans, guard members, and those living with the long-term effects of brain injury,” she said. “Veterans can continue to access their healthcare and mental healthcare with the VA, but they will now have a program in their local community that can help them with additional supports and needs.”

The office will be staffed with a TBI services navigator, a veteran peer mentor, and a master’s-level counselor who will provide screening, education, peer mentorship, clinical evaluations and care coordination specifically for individuals with a TBI. The staff will also facilitate coverage for the state’s TBI helpline.

ADRS State TBI Program Director April Turner said the ribbon-cutting is the culmination of many long hours of discussions and planning.

“This is a dream come true for everybody,” she said. “Opening this center is very surreal, because it started with a wish list drawn out on a piece of paper two years ago. I am thankful to the veterans, service members, and TBI advocates whose courage, voices, and dedication guided our efforts to expand care for those who need it most.

The center is the second of five offices, with the recently opened location in Mobile and future locations planned for Enterprise, Birmingham, and Huntsville.

Plans for the centers began during the 2024 legislative session with the establishment of the Veterans’ Mental Health Steering Committee, which is a legislative body. That committee was charged with developing a comprehensive plan to address the unique needs of veterans. Turner recommended to the committee an expansion of TBI services, which led to a $2.5 million state investment to help establish the centers strategically placed for easy access by veterans around the state.

For years, the ADRS TBI program has provided TBI services for those coming out of acute settings with care coordination, education, and service linkages. Turner said these services will continue.

“The expansion allows us to strengthen our infrastructure, not replace what works,” she said. “It adds depth for our complex individuals, and with this expansion, staffing and implementations are underway for our five TBI Centers.”

ADRS is the state’s lead agency for coordination of services for Alabamians with TBI.

— Information from the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services