SIDE BY SIDE BRAIN INJURY CLUBHOUSE INC
Rebuilding Lives After Brain Injury
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Today, 5.3 million Americans have a long-term or lifelong need for help in performing activities of daily living as a result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Georgia offers nationally-renowned rehabilitation programs for TBI, including the Shepherd Center and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, but after that, patients and their families are pretty much on their own.
When TBI patients come home from the hospital or rehab clinic, the hard work has just begun. Family members typically face a life-long physical, financial, and emotional ordeal while their love one faces the long, difficult task of adjusting to a world where they no longer fit.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse
Since its inception, over 450 adults with brain injuries and their families have been supported along their rehabilitative journeys. Our primary objective is to increase their quality of life through productive activity including paid and non-paid work, school, independent living.
Business Unit
This program helps challenge members who have set goals to improve concentration, short term memory and feel more independent. With tools in place in our office setting, members complete supplemental clerical tasks. They learn to answer the telephone, use printers and copiers, count and deposit money and make change as well as become more computer literate.
Kitchen Unit
This work unit serves is the central hub of the Clubhouse. Each member who works in the Kitchen Unit uses their specific skills and talents to make sure we have a hot, nutritious, and affordable lunch each day. This is a great place to work on thinking skills as the members plan, organize, and execute each step of a process to operate a commercial style kitchen that feeds 40 people on a daily basis.
Maintenance Unit
This unit is charged with keeping the Clubhouse safe and clean. Often members choose to work in the maintenance unit because they like a more active day and are able to work both inside and outside. It is especially attractive to our members who were injured while doing manual labor jobs like construction. Blowing leaves off the sidewalk, safety inspections of all the emergency equipment and doing the laundry are some tasks that are being re- mastered so they can carry over into home and work life.
Where we work
Accreditations
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - Employment and Community Services - 3 Year Accreditation 2009
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - Employment and Community Services - 3 Year Accreditation 2012
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - Employment and Community Services - 3 Year Accreditation 2015
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - Employment and Community Services - 3 Year Accreditation 2018
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) - Employment and Community Services 2021
Awards
Employer of the Year 2002
Brain Injury Association of Georgia
Affiliations & memberships
Clubhouse International Member 2021
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of hours Side by Side members participated in group volunteer opportunities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Chronically ill people, People with psychosocial disabilities, People with physical disabilities, People with other disabilities, Low-income people
Related Program
Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Community service opportunities ceased March 2020 due to the public health emergency. Plan to resume Aug 2021
Number of days members attended Side by Side
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percentage of members who report becoming more self sufficient doing things at home since joining the Clubhouse
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with other disabilities, People with physical disabilities, People with psychosocial disabilities, Chronically ill people
Related Program
Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
50% is reflective of lack of in-person services during COVID-19. Assessed safety and mental health while isolated and receiving virtual services. 94% were satisfied with our svcs during the pandemic
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Side by Side offers members a safe environment for continuation of recovery, mastery of skills, and return to the workforce, all while making a positive impact on their families and caregivers.
As Side by Side emerges in 2021 from pandemic-related challenges shared by all human service agencies, our goals have shifted to restoring financial security while maintaining the safety of our staff and members who are at a greater risk of catastrophic consequences of COVID-19 due to chronic health conditions that accompany brain injury. Simultaneously, we are resuming capacity building initiatives with a current priority of leadership succession.
Strategic Initiatives that Continue Include:
1. Establish the Side by Side model as a validated clinical approach to supporting people with brain injury-related disabilities.
2. Enhance Atlanta's reputation as an innovator in the disability community.
3. Expand Side by Side's programs, infrastructure, and resources to serve the growing needs of Atlanta's community impacted by brain injury.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. Build the administrative and technical infrastructure necessary to sustain long-term program evaluation and justification of services.
2. Maintain a close working relationship with Shepherd Center, top ten brain injury rehabilitation hospital in the nation.
3. Facilitate the expansion and availability of long-term support services for people with brain injuries across the US by leading an alliance of Clubhouse-model programs that serve this population and developing/hosting training of colleagues to develop and continually improve services that utilize this model.
4. Expand home-based and virtual community support services to military service members who sustained brain injuries since 9/11/2001.
3. After 21 years of operation, our founding leaders are staging retirements via a multi-year strategic initiative campaign that has now shifted from a successful 4-year period of capital improvements to a 4- year period of leadership succession. Having hired a seasoned C-Suite executive to guide the transition as the organization's first COO, we are streamlining and modernizing business practices, planning expansions of earned revenue streams, and increasing fundraising efforts to gradually transition to a new Executive Director and Program Director.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Over the past fifteen years, Side by Side has achieved global recognition in the brain injury community for our innovative approach and Partnership Model. Side by Side is a founding leader of the International Brain Injury Clubhouse Alliance (IBICA) and maintains Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in Community Services: Community Integration. Side by Side maintains advocacy relationship throughout Georgia to advance a comprehensive line-item funding request to state legislators to address the needs of Georgia's brain-injury population. Side by Side also works with Georgia State University, Emory University and Brenau University to train Rehabilitation Counselors and Occupational Therapists. In addition, Side by Side is licensed and regulated by the Georgia Department of Community Health to operate as an Adult Day Center.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
What we have accomplished so far:
-Completed a three-year multi-site research project. This project consists of comparing features and outcomes of Side by Side membership and programs with other ABI and Mental Clubhouse Model programs to demonstrate impact of this service approach on health and well-being of 2 different but overlapping populations. Outcomes showed improved health, resiliency, mental health, and reduced hospitalizations after 6 months of attending an ABI Clubhouse program. Side by Side is the largest of the ABI Clubhouse programs in the study and the only stand-alone 501c3 organization of the group.
-After 20 years of advocacy efforts, Side by Side was approved for a small annual grant through our state's general fund to provide scholarship services to those in financial need and who do not qualify for a Medicaid Waiver.
-Life skills training program is now serving injured workers and wounded warriors.
-Part-time COO has facilitated significant improvements to business practices and facility deferred maintenance plans.
-Successfully obtained full accreditation (during a pandemic!) by the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
-Obtained 2 PPP loans and support from our founding sponsor, Shepherd Center, to weather the pandemic with zero staff layoffs.
What's next?
- Hire successor for Program Director; once that role is stable will begin search for Exec Director replacement. We hope to secure capacity building funding to ensure a successful transition while increasing Side by Side's reach and impact nationwide through the training of developing long-term support programs following this validated and unique service model.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Adults living with disabilities due to brain injuries and their families
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Community meetings/Town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
conducted a followup survey of families to better meet their need of increased professional and peer support activities- not many responses- planning increased number and types of family support opportunities as Covid precautions lift
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
we follow a partnership model of service provision- called Clubhouse model whereby people served are included and valued in every aspect of the organization from hiring staff to setting policy to assessing safety risk.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SIDE BY SIDE BRAIN INJURY CLUBHOUSE INC
Board of directorsas of 1/12/2022
Jim Long
Gerber Holder Law (Counsel)
Term: 2016 - 2022
Mark Gannon
Partner, Savell & Williams, LLP
Lorie Hutcheson
Shepherd Center
Wanda Staebell
Lilburn Woman’s Club
Dick Brookfield
Van Winkle & Associates
Yogita Tailor
Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine
Tracey Wallace
Shepherd Center
Jocelyn Smith
Emory University
Elizabeth George
Shah Law Firm
Lloyd Bell
Bell Law Firm
Al King
McKesson
Sarah Duffy
American Cancer Society
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/07/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.