Personal Injury Law

The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation's National Advisory Board Legal Committee

By Bruce Stern

As you may already know, The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation has quickly become one of the leading organizations dealing with Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury (PABI) throughout the nation.  The foundation is named after 3-year-old Sarah Jane Donohue who was shaken by her baby nurse when she was only 5 days old breaking 3 ribs, both collarbones and causing a severe brain injury.  Sarah Jane's father, Patrick Donohue, has quickly galvanized the leading professionals in the field of PABI to action.
 
Phase 1 of the Sarah Jane Brain Project began in October 2007 when Patrick launched the Open Source Initiative which was the first time in medical history someone's (Sarah Jane's) medical records and therapy videos were made publicly available using open source principles (they were posted at www.TheBrainProject.org).  He immediately began Phase 2 which was recruiting other families to participate in the Open Source Initiative and attracting the best in the field of PABI to join his National Advisory Board.  Phase 3 involved having the National Advisory Board develop the first-ever National PABI Plan (a comprehensive continuum of care model system).  The first draft of the PABI Plan was finalized in NYC during the PABI Conference of the National Advisory Board last month and is posted on the website.  The Board is seeking public comments through the end of next week from stakeholders in the field of PABI from around the world (I encourage you to read it and post your comments/suggestions).  Phase 4 will be Congress passing the PABI Act which will fund and fulfill the PABI Plan (Patrick's goal is to have this completed by Sarah Jane's 4th birthday in June).
 
Part of Phase 3 has been establishing a Legal Committee of the National Advisory Board by recruiting some of the best legal, regulatory and financial professionals to examine and address the many complex legal issues facing the millions of children and families dealing with PABI (criminal law, family law, personal injury/tort law, healthcare insurance/Medicaid issues, medical and bioethics law, estate planning, special education law as well as intellectual property law).  Patrick asked me to join the National Advisory Board in December and I readily accepted.  I particpated in the PABI Conference last month where more than 50 of the country's leading PABI experts gathered to draft the PABI Plan - there has never been a concentration of such expertise assembled before.
 
A significant part of the PABI Plan will be establishing a National Pediatric Brain Injury Law Clinic which will assist the children and families with their legal issues where government support services currently are lacking.  Part of the the law clinic's role will be establishing a national network of talented and committed legal professionals who understand the PABI community.

Full post as published by Traumatic Brain Injury Law Blog on February 19, 2009 (boomark / email).