Bill Text: PA HR634 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Designating the month of March 2010 as "Brain Injury Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2010-03-09 - Adopted [HR634 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HR634-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 3219
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 634 Session of2010
INTRODUCED BY STEVENSON, KORTZ, ADOLPH, BAKER, BEAR, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, BISHOP, BOBACK, BRADFORD, BRENNAN, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, CAUSER, CLYMER, COHEN, CONKLIN, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DeWEESE, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, EVERETT, FAIRCHILD, FLECK, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARHART, HARKINS, HELM, HENNESSEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, HOUGHTON, HUTCHINSON, M. KELLER, KILLION, KNOWLES, KULA, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, MARKOSEK, MARSHALL, MARSICO, MATZIE, McCALL, McGEEHAN, McILVAINE SMITH, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MILNE, MOUL, MURT, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PASHINSKI, PAYNE, PAYTON, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROCK, ROSS, SAINATO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SEIP, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, SWANGER, TRUE, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATERS, WATSON, MILLER AND ROHRER, FEBRUARY 18, 2010
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, FEBRUARY 18, 2010
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of March 2010 as "Brain Injury Awareness
Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Brain injury refers to the death or injury of brain
cells and the disruption of neural pathways resulting in changes
in the way a person thinks, feels and acts; and
WHEREAS, Acquired brain injury is an injury to the brain
secondary to trauma, stroke, postsurgical complications,
aneurysm, high fever, infection, near drowning, near
suffocation, near electrocution, poisoning and other conditions
which interfere with the delivery of blood or oxygen to the
brain; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 10 million Americans living
with acquired brain injury, including stroke; and
WHEREAS, Brain injury due to trauma may be caused by a direct
blow to the head, by being shaken violently, by falls, motor
vehicle crashes, bicycle accidents, sports and recreation
injuries, shaken baby syndrome, gunshot wounds and assaults; and
WHEREAS, The signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury can
be subtle and may not appear until days or weeks after the
injury or may even be missed; and
WHEREAS, Mild traumatic brain injury is often underdiagnosed
or misdiagnosed, with symptoms not always immediately apparent;
and
WHEREAS, Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of
disability and death from birth to age 40; and
WHEREAS, The cost of treating, rehabilitating and caring for
the victims of traumatic brain injury in the United States is
approximately $30 billion each year; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
estimate that 25% to 87% of inmates have a history of traumatic
brain injury; and
WHEREAS, A study found that 20% of the juvenile justice
population have been unconscious for 20 minutes or more due to a
traumatic brain injury; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 3.8 million sports-related and
recreation-related concussions from trauma occur in the United
States each year; and
WHEREAS, Nationally, children and youth 5 to 18 years of age
accounted for 2.4 million sports-related emergency visits for
traumatic brain injury annually; and
WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of all brain injuries are
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concussions from trauma and affect more than 47,000
Pennsylvanians; and
WHEREAS, More than 130,000 Pennsylvanians are living with a
long-term disability resulting from traumatic brain injury; and
WHEREAS, More than 50,000 Pennsylvanians are treated and
released from emergency rooms for traumatic brain injury
annually; and
WHEREAS, More than 32,000 Pennsylvania children under 21
years of age have a medical history that includes a
hospitalization for traumatic brain injury; and
WHEREAS, Brain injury is the signature injury of those
military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has a number of leading research
centers for brain injury, including the Penn Center for Brain
Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, the Center
for Injury Research and Control and the Brain Trauma Research
Center at the University of Pittsburgh, the Moss Rehabilitation
Research Institute and the Center for Injury Research and
Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, There are several organizations in this Commonwealth
with a specific focus on brain injury, including the Brain
Injury Association of Pennsylvania, Inc., the Disability Rights
Network, the Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania and
the Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities; and
WHEREAS, The Commonwealth has programs with a specific focus
on brain injury, including the Department of Health Traumatic
Brain Injury Advisory Board, and has several government programs
that administer specialized brain injury rehabilitation and
community support programs, including the Department of Health
Head Injury Program and the Department of Public Welfare
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CommCare Waiver program; and
WHEREAS, The best approach to the silent epidemic of brain
injury is to promote awareness, prevention and treatment of
brain injuries; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Public Welfare has commissioned a
report from its Brain Injury Recovery Task Force and an
independent study by the Mercer group, both of which have been
issued as final reports; and
WHEREAS, Brain injury prevention and access to necessary
treatment and services can be promoted through community
education and a public awareness campaign; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of March 2010 as "Brain Injury Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, Inc., 950 Walnut
Bottom Road, Suite 15-229, Carlisle, PA 17015; to the Disability
Rights Network, 1414 N. Cameron Street, Suite C, Harrisburg, PA
17103; to the Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania,
2275 Glenview Drive, Lansdale, PA 19446; and to the Pennsylvania
Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, 2400 Park Drive,
Harrisburg, PA 17110.
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