1Designating the month of March 2014 as "Brain Injury Awareness
2Month" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, Brain injury refers to the death or injury of brain
4cells and the disruption of neural pathways resulting in changes
5in the way a person thinks, feels and acts; and

6WHEREAS, Acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain
7secondary to trauma, stroke, postsurgical complications,
8aneurysm, high fever, infection, near drowning, near
9suffocation, near electrocution, poisoning and other conditions
10which interfere with delivery of blood or oxygen to the brain;
11and

12WHEREAS, There are approximately 10 million Americans living
13with acquired brain injury, including stroke; and

14WHEREAS, Brain injury due to trauma may be caused by a direct
15blow to the head or being shaken violently and may be caused by
16falls, motor vehicle crashes, bicycle accidents, sports and
17recreation injuries, shaken baby syndrome, gunshot wounds and

1assaults; and

2WHEREAS, The signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury can
3be subtle and may not appear until days or weeks after the
4injury or may even be missed; and

5WHEREAS, Mild traumatic brain injury is often underdiagnosed
6or misdiagnosed, with symptoms not always immediately apparent;
7and

8WHEREAS, Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of
9disability and death from birth to 40 years of age; and

10WHEREAS, The cost of treating, rehabilitating and caring for
11the victims of traumatic brain injury in the United States is
12approximately $30 billion each year; and

13WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
14estimate that 25% to 87% of inmates have a history of traumatic
15brain injury; and

16WHEREAS, A study found that 20% of the juvenile justice
17population has been unconscious for 20 minutes or more due to a
18traumatic brain injury; and

19WHEREAS, It is estimated that there are from 50,000 to
20125,000 mild traumatic brain injuries (i.e., concussions)
21resulting from sports and recreation accidents in Pennsylvania
22every year; and

23WHEREAS, Nationally, children and youth 5 to 18 years of age
24accounted for approximately 2.4 million sports-related emergency
25visits for traumatic brain injury annually; and

26WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of all brain injuries are
27concussions from trauma, affecting more than 47,000
28Pennsylvanians; and

29WHEREAS, More than 130,000 Pennsylvanians are living with a
30long-term disability resulting from traumatic brain injury; and

1WHEREAS, More than 50,000 Pennsylvanians are treated and
2released from emergency rooms for traumatic brain injury
3annually; and

4WHEREAS, More than 32,000 Pennsylvania children under 21
5years of age have a medical history that includes a
6hospitalization for traumatic brain injury; and

7WHEREAS, Brain injury is the signature injury of those
8military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; and

9WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has a number of the leading
10research centers for brain injury, including the Penn Center for
11Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, the
12Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, the Brain Trauma
13Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh and the Center
14for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of
15Philadelphia; and

16WHEREAS, Three organizations in this Commonwealth
17specifically devoted to brain injury include the Brain Injury
18Association of Pennsylvania, Inc., the Acquired Brain Injury
19Network of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Brain Injury
20Coalition, and two organizations with a strong focus on brain
21injury include the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania and
22the Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities; and

23WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has agencies with a specific focus
24on brain injury, including the Department of Health Traumatic
25Brain Injury Advisory Board; and

26WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has several government programs
27that administer specialized brain injury rehabilitation and
28community support programs, including the Department of Health
29Head Injury Program and the Office of Long Term Living CommCare
30Waiver program; and

1WHEREAS, The best approach to the silent epidemic of brain
2injury is to promote the awareness, prevention and treatment of
3brain injuries; and

4WHEREAS, Brain injury prevention and access to necessary
5treatment and services can be promoted through community
6education and a public awareness campaign; therefore be it

7RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of March 2014
8as "Brain Injury Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it
9further

10RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
11the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, Inc., 950 Walnut
12Bottom Road, Suite 15-229, Carlisle, PA 17015; to the Disability
13Rights Network of Pennsylvania, 1414 North Cameron Street, Suite
14C, Harrisburg, PA 17103; to the Acquired Brain Injury Network of
15Pennsylvania, 2275 Glenview Drive, Lansdale, PA 19446; and to
16the Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, 2400
17Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17110.