Marin Nonprofit Renamed Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery to Honor Founder

(Larkspur, CA) Marin County nonprofit Brain Injury Network of the Bay Area (BINBA) announced today that the organization’s name has been changed to Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery in honor of founder and Marin resident, Karen Schurig.

In 1975, Karen Schurig’s daughter was injured in a car accident at the age of 14 and sustained a brain injury. Finding no specific brain injury recovery programs available, Schurig set out to fill a major gap in the health care system. “Karen dedicated herself to helping people and families challenged by brain injury,” said Kimberly Strub, President of the Board of Directors at Schurig Center. “Renaming the organization is a fitting tribute to a woman who dedicated her life to improving the lives of others and strengthening our community. She created a unique place where healing and hope thrive.”

As originally envisioned by Schurig, the nonprofit was intended to improve the lives of acquired brain injury survivors and their families and caregivers – an under-funded and under-served population. She also believed no one should be turned away due to their inability to pay. This mission still stands, over 30 years later, serving people from throughout the Bay Area, and beyond. Schurig Center continues to be the only nonprofit in Marin and Sonoma offering affordable rehabilitative and supportive services for survivors of brain injury. The center’s programs are well-respected among the medical community and have become known as a model for other organizations in the field of brain injury recovery, such as Hawaii’s Brain Injury Association.

Brain injuries come in many forms and can happen at any time. Brain injury, concussion, and stroke survivors often have limited access to services following the acute phase of their injury. Their families and caretakers may have little-to-no training on how to help them. Their injury also often means the loss of work, friends, and activities. The resulting depression, fear, and confusion are among the factors that contribute to social isolation for brain injury survivors.

Schurig also anticipated the growing need for services long before brain injury, stroke, and concussion gained awareness in the media. A pioneer of sorts, Schurig believed in neuroplasticity before it was scientifically proven. She provided programs, such as expressive art therapy, that challenged the status quo of the time, but now are widely supported by neuroscience research.

Schurig passed away in 2009, but under the direction of current Executive Director Patricia Gill, the organization has continued to thrive – tripling its services and the number of people served in the past five years to meet increased demand. “Karen Schurig would be pleased that we are still here and that we continue to offer an array of specialized services not found anywhere else in our area,” says Gill. “It is our pleasure to change the organization’s name to honor Karen while also highlighting the recovery and healing process that is possible after a brain injury.”

In addition to on-site therapeutic services, brain injury related resources and educational materials are available via phone and online, dramatically increasing the reach of Schurig Center for Brain Injury Recovery.

For more information, please visit schurigcenter.org.