Bill Text: GA SR1162 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Senate Including Traumatic Brain Injury Facilities in State Health Plan Study Committee; create

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-18 - Senate Read Second Time [SR1162 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2009-SR1162-Introduced.html

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10 LC 94 2516

Senate Resolution 1162

By: Senators Thomas of the 54th, Goggans of the 7th, Hawkins of the 49th and Moody of the 56th

A RESOLUTION

Creating the Senate Including Traumatic Brain Injury Facilities in the State Health Plan Study Committee; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for any American age 45 or younger, and there is great concern over the unmet needs of people with brain injuries in Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that there are 1.4 million new traumatic brain injuries every year in the United States, which are primarily caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, and violence; and

WHEREAS, of the 57,232 Georgians who were taken to a hospital for treatment of a traumatic brain injury in 2007, 6,764 sustained injuries that were severe enough to require admission to the hospital, and of these people with severe injuries, it is estimated that 34 percent of them will be permanently disabled; and

WHEREAS, approximately 15,000 other Georgians each year are discharged from hospitals after receiving treatment for brain injuries that are acquired as a result of strokes, tumors, and other medical conditions; and

WHEREAS, these statistics only reveal the number of people treated for brain injuries in Georgia hospitals and do not include people who seek treatment from other medical facilities, out-of-state facilities, or not at all; nor do these figures include members of the military, where traumatic brain injury has been identified as the "signature wound" of the Iraq War; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that approximately 187,000 Georgians have a long-term or lifelong disability relating to a traumatic brain injury, with an estimated 18,700 of them requiring ongoing, intensive services and supports due to the neurobehavioral issues they present to their families and communities; and

WHEREAS, in the United States, the average lifetime cost of care for a person with a moderate to severe brain injury can range from $600,000.00 to $1,875,000.00, and the costs for a person with a severe brain injury, including someone with significant neurobehavioral
issues, can reach as high as $4 million; and

WHEREAS, the average lifetime costs of care for people with moderate to severe brain injuries is often higher because of a lack of timely and appropriate services and rehabilitation; and

WHEREAS, many people with moderate to severe brain injuries require post-acute residential services from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Facility in order to improve their quality of life, live in the community or the least restrictive and most appropriate community based setting possible, and reduce the use of state funds for inappropriate and ineffective services; and

WHEREAS, TBI Facilities provide post-acute residential rehabilitation, including 24 hour supervision and highly structured skilled rehabilitation therapies, and appropriate long-term living options that would prevent institutionalization of people with brain injuries in either geriatric nursing homes or state hospitals; and

WHEREAS, a TBI Facility is defined in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated as a place which is devoted to providing treatment and rehabilitative care for over 24 hours to persons with traumatic brain injuries and is not classified as a hospital, nursing home, intermediate care facility, or personal care home; and

WHEREAS, Georgia currently has six designated TBI Facilities, including Safehaven in Walker County, Shepherd Pathways in DeKalb County, Restore Neurobehavioral Center in Fulton County and Gwinnett County, Palm Creek Farm in Gwinnett County, Walton Transitional Living Center in Richmond County, and Southern Crescent TBI Center in Henry County; and

WHEREAS, there is no public funding available for transitional residential rehabilitation and lifelong living services for people with traumatic brain injuries, and the only public funding available to support people with traumatic brain injuries is the Medicaid Independent Care Waiver Program; however, it will not provide funding for services in TBI Facilities because Georgia's State Health Plan excludes TBI Facilities, defining them as institutions; and

WHEREAS, as a result, a large number of Georgians with brain injuries are not getting the appropriate rehabilitation they need and are thus ending up in costly settings, such as nursing homes, prisons, or state hospitals, or they are placed out of state or end up homeless; and

WHEREAS, the inappropriate placement of individuals suffering from traumatic brain injuries greatly affects the individual and their families and results in higher costs of care, lost wages, and lost opportunities to contribute both personally and economically to local communities throughout Georgia; and

WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to analyze the feasibility of amending the State Health Plan to include TBI Facilities and how public funding for such facilities would affect Georgia.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that there is created the Senate Including Traumatic Brain Injury Facilities in the State Health Plan Study Committee to be composed of five members to be appointed by the President of the Senate who shall designate one member as chairperson. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems as described above and recommend any actions or legislation that the committee deems necessary or appropriate. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. The members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from the funds appropriated to the Senate. In the event the committee makes a report of its findings and recommendations, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or before December 31, 2010. The committee shall stand abolished on December 31, 2010.