[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H2007-H2009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING NEED FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND
SUPPORT FOR DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to
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the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 99) expressing the need for
enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain jury and support for the
designation of a National Brain Injury Awareness Month.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 99
Whereas traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death
and disability among children and young adults in the United
States;
Whereas at least 1.4 million Americans sustain a traumatic
brain injury each year;
Whereas, each year, more than 80,000 of such Americans
sustain permanent life-long disabilities from a traumatic
brain injury, resulting in a life-altering experience that
can include the most serious physical, cognitive, and
emotional impairments;
Whereas every 21 seconds, one person in the United States
sustains a traumatic brain injury;
Whereas at least 5.3 million Americans currently live with
permanent disabilities resulting from a traumatic brain
injury;
Whereas most cases of traumatic brain injury are
preventable;
Whereas traumatic brain injuries cost the nation $56.3
billion annually;
Whereas the lack of public awareness is so vast that
traumatic brain injury is known in the disability community
as the Nation's ``silent epidemic'';
Whereas the designation of a National Brain Injury
Awareness Month will work toward enhancing public awareness
of traumatic brain injury; and
Whereas the Brain Injury Association of America has
recognized March as Brain Injury Awareness Month: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) recognizes the life-altering impact traumatic brain
injury may have both on Americans living with the resultant
disabilities and on their families;
(2) recognizes the need for enhanced public awareness of
traumatic brain injury;
(3) supports the designation of an appropriate month as
National Brain Injury Awareness Month; and
(4) encourages the President to issue a proclamation
designating such a month.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Deal) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material on
the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 99, a resolution
expressing the need for enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain
injury and in support for designation of a National Brain Injury
Awareness Month.
I want to thank the principal sponsors of this legislation,
Congressman Bill Pascrell from New Jersey and Congressman Todd Platts
from Pennsylvania, who are the cochairs of the Congressional Brain
Injury Task Force. I commend them for their leadership and hard work to
increase the level of public awareness of this silent epidemic of
traumatic brain injury.
Despite the fact that each year an estimated 1.4 million Americans
sustain a traumatic brain injury, costing our society tens of billions
of dollars and permanently altering the lives of countless people, too
few people are aware of the dangers posed by these highly preventible
injuries.
To help address this problem, House Concurrent Resolution 99 resolves
that Congress, one, recognizes the life-altering impact traumatic brain
injury may have both on Americans living with the resultant
disabilities and on their families; two, recognizes the need for
enhanced public awareness of traumatic brain injury; three, supports
the designation of an appropriate month as National Brain Injury
Awareness Month; and, four, encourages the President to issue a
proclamation designating such a month.
Again, I commend Mr. Pascrell and Mr. Platts for their leadership on
this issue. I encourage my colleagues to adopt the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate
that there are over 5 million Americans living with disabilities
resulting from traumatic brain injury. Another 1.4 million of our
fellow citizens sustain a traumatic brain injury every year.
In 1996, Congress recognized the severity of traumatic brain injury
by passing the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, legislation that advances
prevention and education and research and community living for people
living with these injuries and for their families. But there is more to
be done.
Every 21 seconds, someone in our country sustains a traumatic brain
injury. While half of these injuries result in only short-term
disabilities, for others, they are obviously far more serious.
Half a million of these Americans die, including 2,800 children less
than 14 years of age. Another 80,000 Americans sustain severe long-term
disabilities, costing our health care system something in the vicinity
of $56 billion a year.
But many of those disabilities are preventible. The problem is that
most Americans don't know when to classify an injury as a traumatic
injury. It means they may not know to recognize the signs of a serious
injury, which can be as simple as recurring headaches or feeling tired
or having difficulty concentrating. They don't know to get themselves
to a medical professional before there is actually permanent damage.
Just because it only feels like a bump in the head, you have to be
aware of how you are feeling and how you are acting. Your family and
friends need to be able to recognize the signals that something is
wrong. This is particularly important for children, who are less likely
to recognize when they need to see a doctor.
H. Con. Res. 99, offered by my friend Mr. Pascrell and others, will
help increase America's awareness about the seriousness of traumatic
brain injury and the importance of getting checked out by a health care
professional after injury.
To help meet that goal, this resolution supports the creation of a
National Brain Injury Awareness Month, an event around which patients
and advocates and providers can organize to educate the public and
bring needed attention to this issue. I am pleased to support the
resolution.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time
and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), the sponsor of this resolution.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, to the chairman, my good friend from
Georgia, I thank you for bringing this to the floor, and the ranking
member.
I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in support of House Concurrent Resolution
99, legislation designed to bring attention to what I would call an
American tragedy, a stealthy thief who can strike anyone at any time
without warning and often with devastating consequences.
Traumatic brain injury, TBI, is a leading cause of death and
disability among young Americans in the United States. As you have just
heard, someone will sustain a traumatic brain injury every 21 seconds.
We are talking about 1.5 million Americans every year. More than 1.4
million sustain brain injuries, more than the incidence of HIV/AIDS,
spinal cord injury, even multiple sclerosis. Fifty thousand of those
injured will die; 55 million Americans are living with TBI right now.
Think about that, Mr. Speaker.
These injuries manifest themselves in a myriad of ways, from a small
behavioral change to complete physical disability and even death.
Traumatic brain injury costs the country an estimated societal cost of
$60 billion every year and, currently, there is no cure. Most of these
injuries are due to falls, motor vehicle traffic crashes or violence.
Additionally, due to the changing nature of warfare, American troops
are suffering TBI at an alarming rate.
Individuals with TBI account for 2 percent of the total United States
population and represent nearly 10 percent of our Nation's disability
population, 10 percent. Yet despite these staggering statistics, lack
of public awareness is so vast that TBI remains a silent epidemic
plaguing our Nation.
The good news is that traumatic brain injury is often preventable.
That
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is why awareness and education are imperative.
The resolution before the House today, Mr. Speaker, to designate a
National Brain Injury Awareness Month, will work toward enhancing
public awareness and give this epidemic and its victims a voice.
Former Congressman Jim Greenwood from Pennsylvania and I formed the
Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001. Today, that task force,
which I chair with my good friend Congressman Platts from Pennsylvania,
works to further education and awareness of brain injury, its
incidence, its prevalence, its prevention and treatment. The task force
also supports funding for basic and applied research on brain injury
rehab and the development of a cure.
It is my hope that this resolution will encourage Americans to learn
more about the long-lasting effects of brain injury and its impact on
both the civilian and military communities.
The Traumatic Brain Injury Act is the only legislation that
specifically addresses issues faced by people who live with long-term
disability as a result of traumatic brain injury. It has successfully
provided a foundation for coordinated and balanced public policy for
people living with TBI and their circles of support. This law is due to
be reauthorized. I look forward to continued congressional support to
make it happen.
Another important Federal program, Mr. Speaker, focused on TBI,
traumatic brain injury, is the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury
Center. For our Armed Forces, TBI is an important clinical problem in
peace and war, and its consequences may extend for many years.
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center was established in 1992
after Operation Desert Storm. Military doctors are naming traumatic
brain injury as the result of a blast the signature wound of the war in
Iraq.
Because soldiers are now equipped with state-of-the-art body armor,
they are living through attacks that troops in past wars were unable to
survive. Systemwide, the DVBIC has evaluated over 1,400 military
personnel with TBI. Of those troops evacuated to Walter Reed Medical
Center, 28 percent had traumatic brain injury.
The DVBIC trains combat medics, surgeons, general medical officers
and Reservists in the recognition and best practices of TBI care and
provides continuity of care from the battlefield to rehab and back to
active duty or civilian life.
Continued congressional support is vital. Traumatic brain injury is a
unique issue, an epidemic so vast it is almost overwhelming and so
personal its effects defy definition. Passage of this resolution will
confirm our commitment to awareness and education and prevention and
research.
I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of H. Con. Res. 99, to
designate a National Brain Injury Awareness Month in support of our
common goal, the eradication of traumatic brain injury as a
debilitating, costly and deadly plague on humankind.
I must say in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, that what has happened over
the past 5 or 6 years gives us a tremendous amount of hope in
developing that part of the brain which has not been injured to
compensate for that part which has been injured. We are truly living in
great times.
Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Traumatic
Brain Injury Taskforce, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent
Resolution 99. This resolution will help increase awareness for
traumatic brain injury (TBI), the leading cause of death and disability
among children and young adults in the United States.
Mr. Speaker, few Americans may understand the amount of devastation
caused by TBIs every year. This year alone, over 1.4 million people
will sustain a traumatic brain injury. Sadly, at least 80,000 of those
individuals will remain permanently disabled from the trauma.
Falls, motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, and violence are among
the major causes of TBI, leaving every individual susceptible.
Additionally, TBls can manifest themselves in various ways, from a
small behavioral change to complete physical disability, and even
death. Brain injuries affect the whole family emotionally and
financially, often resulting in huge medical and rehabilitation
expenses.
It is now especially important that we promote awareness for TBI
because military doctors are naming it the signature wound of the war
in Iraq. Thanks to the state-of-the-art body armor with which our men
and women overseas are equipped, they are able to survive violent
attacks, while still receiving a blunt force to the head. Walter Reed
Memorial Hospital found that over 60% of all soldiers wounded in an
explosion, vehicle accident, or gunshot to the head or neck, sustained
a Traumatic Brain Injury.
Mr. Speaker, because all of our fellow citizens have family, friends
and neighbors who could fall victim to TBI at any time, I urge support
from my distinguished colleagues for this resolution here today.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time
and urge the adoption of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) that the House suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 99.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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