CBIST Spotlight: John Pimentel

John Pimentel is part of the team that guides the development of community based brain injury rehabilitative services of ARCA in Albuquerque, N.M. With more than fifteen years of certified professional experience in community based/residential rehabilitation programs geared to provide rehabilitative services to people living with brain injury, John has extensive experience in in operational management (clinical/administrative) as well as development and implementation of new services for children and adults living with brain injury.

John holds a B.A. in Psychology from the Texas State University – San Marcos, a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer (CBIST).

Why have you chosen a career in brain injury? What are you most passionate about in the field?

I chose a career in brain injury rehabilitation because of the personal impact they had on me at a younger age. My grandmother sustained a brain injury due to a stroke when I was seven years old. At the time I was living in Venezuela and brain injury rehabilitation was simply nonexistent in the county. Due to the lack of services it was up to the family to provide the care and support my grandmother needed after sustaining her injury

I am passionate about helping people that live with brain injury become active members of their communities. Having the opportunity to provide the spaces, trainings, and supports that will allow the person to become independent and active members of their communities is a privilege and a giant responsibility. Having the opportunity to see them achieve their recovery goals, and witness their progress is simply the very best part of the rehabilitation process.

Why is having your CBIST important to you and how has it benefited your practice and career?

I started in the field of brain injury rehabilitation as a direct support professional and through the years I had the opportunity to receive training from a number of experienced leaders in the field. Each one of them emphasized the importance of having the tools and knowledge to be able to do the very best we could for those we were helping. That is why I worked hard to gain the knowledge and experience that would allow me to apply and later become a CBIST.

Being a CBIST in New Mexico did not mean much at first. A very limited number of people understood what that meant, so my first step was to educate those providing services to people living with brain injury on what the certification was about and how it could enhance the knowledge and skills needed to provide specialized services to those living with brain injury.

Once there was an understanding on what the certification was, having it was a great asset. The first thing the certification did (once people understood what it was) was add a layer of credibility to the community based residential rehabilitation program in the state. Having the certification also allowed ideas and suggestions to resonate and helped open the door to start conversations with key players in the community.

What has it meant for you to be part of ACBIS for many years? Why did you become a CBIST?

Being part of ACBIS is a privilege, a responsibility and an honor. Having the opportunity to be a part of the academy and have access to the current research, cutting edge practices, and a network of professionals that are simply the best on what they do has been extremely helpful. It has truly allowed me to grown tremendously as a brain injury professional.

As you’re the only CBIST in New Mexico, how has becoming a trainer helped advance the services provided in your community?

New Mexico is home to one of the top trauma units in the nation, the University of New Mexico Hospital Trauma Unit, which provides top of the line acute rehabilitative services. However, post-acute care, long-term care and community services for people living with brain injury are almost non-existent in the state. This lack of specialized services can have a huge impact on the person living with a brain injury, the family, the insurance company, the state and many other stakeholders.

As a CBIST, I see it as one of my roles to continue to increase the services available in New Mexico. This is one of the reasons why I was excited to lead the development of the ARCA Acquired Brain Injury Division (ARCA ABI), with the idea of providing long term home and community treatment for New Mexicans living with brain injury right here in New Mexico. ARCA’s ABI model provides post-acute, community-based residential rehabilitation/supported living services, in-home services and community integration services for people living with brain injuries. Being a CBIST has also allowed me to help improve the existing model of the New Mexico Brain Injury Resource Center by expanding its reach and increasing the awareness regarding the need for specialized services in the state.

Although we have made some major progress in the last two years, there is still plenty of work to do when it comes to education, infrastructure, and specialized programming to provide specialized services for people living with brain injury in the state. I look forward to continuing to be a part of that work.