A Horseheads man who sustained a traumatic brain injury in a bicycle accident as a teenager is managing his anxiety and PTSD and has returned to work with the help of AIM’s services.
Joe Schrom, 31, is a participant in AIM’s TBI Medicaid Waiver Program, which provides supports and services to help people with TBIs live independently in the community.
One of the services he receives through the program is Community Integration Counseling, which helps him manage his anxiety and PTSD from the accident, said Terri Colvin, AIM’s Director of Mental Health and Recovery, who is providing the counseling.
Schrom has also been supported through the TBI Waiver Program by an independent Service Coordinator, Stacy Kondrach, and a structured day program at Pathways.
Schrom was 17 years old and riding his bicycle in Horseheads when he was hit by a drunk driver in the middle of the afternoon, resulting in hospitalization and a lengthy rehabilitation.
Wearing a bike helmet was the only thing that saved his life, Schrom says. He keeps the damaged bike he was riding in his shed. Since the accident, he has volunteered for victim impact panels for drunk drivers and been an advocate for bicycle safety. He has also done disability awareness programs at Boy Scout summer camps.
“What a lot of people don’t seem to realize is, they could join the disability community at any moment,” Schrom said.
Schrom recently began working with AIM’s Supported Employment Program with the goal of returning to work. He has struggled to find and keep jobs due to his TBI. Katrinna LaTorre, an Employment Specialist at AIM, helped Schrom prepare a resume, apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.
Schrom interviewed at a Dollar General store near his home in Horseheads and was hired on the spot. He stocks shelves when shipments arrive and wants to learn to work the register soon. LaTorre has provided Schrom with job coaching for his first few weeks at Dollar General, but he is doing well and the job coaching will be phased out soon, LaTorre said.
The job is providing some financial security, said Schrom, who relies on insurance payments for a settlement related to his accident. It also provides structure and socialization, he said.