Bill Text: PA HR770 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Designating July 7, 2012, as "Combat Related Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania.

Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-2)

Status: (Passed) 2012-06-18 - Adopted (198-0) [HR770 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HR770-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 3719
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 770 Session of2012
INTRODUCED BY BARBIN, SAINATO, READSHAW, DERMODY, GEORGE, GERBER, MICCARELLI, STABACK, MURT, HORNAMAN, D. COSTA, MATZIE, GOODMAN, KULA, KORTZ AND DePASQUALE, JUNE 12, 2012
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JUNE 12, 2012
A RESOLUTION
Designating July 7, 2012, as "Combat Related Brain Injury and
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, More than 2 million United States military personnel
have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of
military operations in 2001, and military statistics show that
at least 234,000 have suffered traumatic brain injuries since
the Iraq and Afghanistan wars began; and
WHEREAS, Blast-related traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been
labeled the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
and traumatic brain injuries occurring among soldiers deployed
to Iraq and Afghanistan are strongly associated with post-
traumatic stress disorder and physical health problems after
soldiers return home; and
WHEREAS, The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC)
in Johnstown, has been assisting returning veterans with
rehabilitative therapy since 2006 and developing assisted living
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protocols since 2009; and
WHEREAS, The Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown, has been
assisting DVBIC by providing rehabilitation and retraining
services for combat veterans since 2006; and
WHEREAS, The University of Pittsburgh's Department of
Neurological Surgery's Brain Trauma Research Center (NSBTRC) has
been collaborating with DVBIC and the Pennsylvania Office of
Vocational Rehabilitation in holding TBI seminars at the Hirman
C. Andrews Center since 2006; and
WHEREAS, The University of Pittsburgh's NSBTRC has developed
a powerful new imaging technique called High Definition Fiber
Tracking that allows doctors to see, for the first time, broken
neural connections caused by bTBI; and
WHEREAS, In January 2009, Congress mandated DVBIC to
establish an assisted living pilot program to determine the best
practices to rehabilitate soldiers with mild, moderate or severe
traumatic brain injuries to enable them to return to their own
communities; and
WHEREAS, A March 2012 study by the University of Pennsylvania
has confirmed that aggressive treatment of traumatic brain
injury has been shown to significantly improve quality of life
for the soldier while lowering the long-term cost of treatment;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate July 7,
2012, as "Combat-Related Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania to promote public
understanding and encourage all resources, national, State,
public and private, to be used to provide comfort and assistance
to those who sacrifices for freedom remain invisible.
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