Litigation

Official Recommendations of International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury

By Michael Kaplen

St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center of Paterson, NJ, in conjunction with Congressman Bill Pascrell, Co-Chair Congressional Brain Injury Task Force (CBITF), will announce the official recommendations of the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Report on March 12, 2009, at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center.

Blast related injuries and extended deployment are contributing to an unprecedented number of warriors suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health issues. Of the 1.64 million U.S. troops deployed, approximately 320,000 have experienced a TBI and 300,000 suffer from post traumatic stress disorder or other psychological health issues. In October 2008, at the request of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center hosted the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, bringing together 100 doctors, researchers and scientists from around the globe to identify barriers to treatment and strategize continuum of care improvements for wounded warriors. The resulting report presents real time solutions, many that can be implemented immediately to care for injured military personnel.

The report calls for immediate actions ranging from developing products that will protect brain structures from the devastating effects of brain injury to creating products that can lead to a cure for TBI by repairing damaged brain cells. It advocates innovative educational and screening programs to prevent the development of complications that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide. It offers hope to the families of some of our most seriously wounded veterans by urging innovative scientific research to awaken those who are in comas, vegetative states, and other disorders of consciousness. It also proposes a nationwide network of partnered agencies, organizations, and programs that will coordinate and disseminate resources, information, referral contacts, and support, with aggressive outreach to rural areas and underserved populations. All of the recommendations are achievable and collectively would represent a dramatic breakthrough in addressing traumatic brain injury and warrior psychological health.

What:

Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Report Recommendations To Improve The Care of Our Wounded Warriors NOW.

Where:

Capitol Visitors Center :  Congressional Meeting Room South

When:

Thursday, March 12, 2009. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Speakers

Congressman Bill Pascrell, Co-Chair of CBITF; Dr. George Zitnay, Co-Founder, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center; Dr. Carl Valenziano, Chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center; William McDonald, President and CEO, St. Joseph's Healthcare System and US Army 1st Lt. Brian Brennan.

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on March 09, 2009 (boomark / email).