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Lawmakers Call For National Pediatric Brain Injury Legislation

During a news conference in the United States Capitol, Congressmen Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Greg Harper (R-MS), Larry Kissell (D-NC), Michael Grimm (R-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and others announced the introduction of The National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Act (PABI Plan Act).

Congressman Leonard Lance, the bills prime sponsor, said "The National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan Act" (PABI Plan Act) is bipartisan legislation that seeks to 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 the leading cause of death and disability for American youth: brain injury.

"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 impacted by brain injuries and their families," said Congressman Lance.

During a news conference Patrick Donohue, the founder of the Sarah Jane Brain 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 and others would ensure families won't have to reinvent the wheel when their child is impacted with a brain injury."

Specifically the U.S. House lawmakers, along with Sarah Jane Brain Foundation founder Patrick Donohue, Sarah Jane Donohue, namesake of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and six-year-old brain injury survivor (shaken baby syndrome), Barbara Geiger-Parker, President and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, Mike Davis, father of son with a brain injury and President of the Brain Injury Association of West Virginia, Craig Sears, brain injury survivor (motor vehicle crash) from Connecticut, Tracy Yatsko, brain injury survivor (sports concussions) from Pennsylvania discussed the need for national pediatric brain injury legislation.

The legislation 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.

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.

Lance noted the legislation already has dozens of bipartisan cosponsors including Reps. Pete Sessions (TX-32), James Moran (VA-08), Jim McGovern (MA-03), Laura Richardson (CA-37), Tammy Baldwin (WI-02), David McKinley (WV-01), Jesse Jackson Jr. (IL-02), Gregg Harper (MS-03), Michael Burgess (TX-26), Patrick Tiberi (OH-12), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Andre Carson (IN-07), Michael Grimm (NY-13), Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), Peter King (NY-03), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Marsha Blackburn (TN-07), Jo Bonner (AL-01), Gerald Connolly (VA-11), Marcia Fudge (OH-11), Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02), John Barrow (GA-12), Elton Gallegly (CA-24), Brad Miller (NC-13), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Donald Payne (NJ-10), Bobby Rush (IL-01), Barney Frank (MA-04), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Dale Kildee (MI-05), Albio Sires (NJ-13), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Mike Pence (IN-06), Tim Ryan (OH-17), Adam Schiff (CA-29), Robert Brady (PA-01), Mike Doyle (PA-14), Charles Rangel (NY-15).