Approximately 5.3 million Americans are currently living with traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Art on the Brain challenges minds and enhances participants’ quality of life following TBI.

The number of women in prison in Ohio increased 10-fold between 1974 and 2014. A new iteration of Art on the Brain will seek to create a sense of community, provide a positive outlet, and foster reintegration for the growing demographic of post-incarcerated women.

An estimated 24.4 million Americans—8% of the population—have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at any given time. One iteration of Art on the Brain is specifically for military veterans, many of whom are living with PTSD. “For me, it’s about being around people I am comfortable with, and expanding my level of community,” noted one participant.

Drug/opioid overdose rate in Ohio was 35.9 per 100,000 in 2016 (compared to 19.1 per 100K in the U.S.), a nine-fold growth since 1999. Our new iteration of Art on the Brain for post-incarcerated women—many of whom have suffered from addictions—seeks to offer a new community, encourage self-expression, and even, perhaps, to aid in helping them avoid behaviors that led to imprisonment.

Ohio Prisons Director Gary Mohr says that more than 55% of incarcerated women in the state are imprisoned for drug offenses. The Wex program offers a safe and welcoming place for women, after they’re released, to reflect and discuss their ideas about art (and life) with women who often share and can empathize with their experiences.

70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of physical or emotional trauma in their lives. The entire Art on the Brain suite fosters resilience, creative thinking, and a positive outlet for this “hidden” demographic.

Traumatic brain injuries are responsible for 282,000 hospitalizations (and 2.5 million emergency room) visits in the U.S. each year. After people have moved out of the acute stages of TBI, Art on the Brain can help them reintegrate, socialize, express themselves, stretch their minds, and learn with others.