CONGRESS ADDRESSES BRAIN INJURY IN YOUTH AS STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL
WASHINGTON --Congressmen Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Howard Berman (D-CA), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Buck McKeon (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Joe Baca (D-CA) and Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D-CA) along with over 70 bi-partisan colleagues have co-sponsored The National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Act (PABI Plan Act). The PABI Plan Act, also referred to as H.R. 2600, will fund a seven-year initiative to implement the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan (PABI Plan) in all fifty states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The PABI Plan will develop a seamless, standardized, evidence-based system of care that is universally accessible for the millions of families who have a child or young adult suffering from the #1 leading cause of death and disability for American youth: brain injury. The PABI Plan was created by the International Advisory Board of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation.
“Young people battling a brain injury deserve the best, most comprehensive care available to address their unique health care needs as they navigate the recovery process,”said Congressman Howard Berman (D, CA-28). “Implementation of the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Act is a critical component of this commitment and I am proud to support this effort.”
“As the leading cause of death and disability among American youth, pediatric acquired brain injury is a major public health problem affecting millions of young people and their families,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D, CA-29). “Those fortunate enough to survive brain injuries experience considerable cognitive, behavioral and communicative disabilities, and sometimes endure long-term medical complications. Implementation of the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Act will provide American youth with the quality of care they need as they travel the long and involved road to recovery.”
“These efforts are critical to focus on the problem of pediatric acquired brain injuries, and represent substantive positive steps towards addressing the number one cause of death and disability in young persons,”said Chris Giza of the UCLA Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury/Sports Concussion Program. The UCLA Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury/Sports Concussion Program cares for young persons across the range of acquired brain injuries, from neurocritical care to sport-related concussion, from infancy to early adulthood. This program also includes community outreach, education and injury prevention. Furthermore, the UCLA Brain Injury Research Center has a strong research component working to decipher mechanisms of injury and plasticity, with the ultimate goal of maximizing recovery and delivering innovative treatments to these patients.
“When a child suffers a brain injury, every American family is confronted with difficult decisions in terms of care, research and support. Systems of care are different from state to state, random from school district to school district and vary from one doctor’s office to another. What is needed is a national clearing house of information and resources for children and young adults impacted by brain injuries and their families,”said Congressman Lance.
Patrick Donohue, the founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and father of Sarah Jane Donohue (namesake of the foundation), said “This is a historic day for the millions of American youth who suffer from the number one leading cause of death and disability, brain injury, as well as their families. This bill backed by Congressman Lance, Congressman Berman, Congressman Gallegly, Congressman McKeon, Congressman Schiff, Congressman Baca, Congresswoman Richardson and others would ensure families won’t have to reinvent the wheel when their child is impacted with a brain injury.”
H.R. 2600 would create a national network of 52 State Lead Centers of Excellence, one for every state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with the responsibility of implementing the PABI Plan based on their own state's unique demographics, geography, laws, infrastructure, financing and causes of brain injuries without duplicating current practices. The legislation will cover the entire continuum of care from prevention, treatment in acute medical facilities, reintegration back into the schools, communities and homes and then transitioning into an adult system of greater independent living.
The legislation will also focus on individuals with a "mild" traumatic brain injury which accounts for more than 80 percent of brain injuries each year, commonly referred to as concussions, as well as rural communities which account for 25 percent of the population and have higher incidence rates of brain injuries. For example, the 52 State Lead Centers would help children suffering from sports-related injuries by providing additional information, resources and care. The PABI Plan covers all acquired brain injuries from birth through 25 years of age while the brain is still in its developmental stages, which includes more than half of the young veterans returning from war with a brain injury since the average age of a veteran with a brain injury is 19.
H.R. 2600 is the largest initiative in American history focusing on pediatric acquired brain injury, however, it was written so it does not create any new federal agency, it does not create any new federal positions and it does not increase the federal budget. It was also written so the federal commitment will sunset at the end of seven years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 765,000 American youth aged 25 and younger enter an emergency department every year with a new traumatic brain injury. More than 80,000 are hospitalized and over 11,000 die annually. For more information about the PABI Plan or the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation please visit www.TheBrainProject.org/lettertosarahjane.php.
H.R. 2600 already has over 70 bi-partisan co-sponsors including: Baca, Joseph N. “Joe” [CA-43], Bachus, Spencer [AL-6], Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2], Barrow, John [GA-12], Berman, Howard [CA-28], Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7], Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3], Bonner, Jo [AL-1], Brady, Robert A. [PA-1], Brown, Corrine [FL-3], Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26], Burton, Dan [IN-5], Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2], Carson, Andre [IN-7], Connolly, Gerald E. "Gerry" [VA-11], Crenshaw, Ander [FL-4], Davis, Danny K. [IL-7], Diaz-Balart, Mario [FL-21], Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14], Fincher, Stephen [TN-8], Frank, Barney [MA-4], Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11], Gallegly, Elton [CA-24], Griffin, Tim [AR-2], Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7], Grimm, Michael G. [NY-13], Harper, Gregg [MS-3], Himes, James A. [CT-4], Israel, Steve [NY-2], Jackson Lee, Sheila [TX-18], Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2], Johnson, Hank [GA-4], Kildee, Dale E. [MI-5], King, Peter T. [NY-3], Kissell, Larry [NC-8], Langevin, Jim [RI-2], Larson, John B. [CT-1], Latham, Thomas “Tom” [IA-4], Latta, Robert [OH-5], Lewis, John [GA-5], Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14], Markey, Ed [MA-7], McGovern, James P. [MA-3], McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [CA-25], McKinley, David B. [WV-1], McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [WA-5], Meehan, Patrick [PA-7], Michaud, Michael [ME-2], Miller, Brad [NC-13], Moran, James P. [VA-8], Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC], Palazzo, Steven M. [MS-4], Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10], Pence, Mike [IN-6], Rahall, Nick [WV-3], Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15], Richardson, Laura [CA-37], Rivera, David [FL-25], Ross, Mike [AR-4], Runyan, Jon [NJ-3], Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1], Ryan, Tim [OH-17], Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29], Sessions, Pete [TX-32], Sires, Albio [NJ-13], Thompson, Glenn [PA-5], Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12], Tierney, John [MA-6], Towns, Ed [NY-10], West, Allen [FL-22], Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3]; Primary Sponsor: Lance, Leonard [NJ-7]
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