WASHINGTON, D.C.

– In a first-of-its kind medical initiative, a collaboration of the 52 top healthcare institutions in the country was announced today.

The historic announcement was made at a press conference on Capitol Hill at 11 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, 4th Floor, in room 2345.

The 52 “State Lead Centers” – one in every state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico – will work together and with other institutions in their states to address the number one cause of death and disability for children and young adults in the United States: brain injury.

These institutions consist of many top-rated children’s hospitals, research universities and health advocacy organizations staffed by the best pediatric neurologists and rehabilitation experts in the country.

In January, over 60 of the top medical professionals in the field came together in New York City and drafted the first-ever National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury (PABI) Plan, which called for the development of a national system of collaboration to address the issue.

The Sarah Jane Brain Project (SJBP) held an open application period in March and invited institutions to apply to be the State Lead Centers in their respective states to implement the National PABI Plan.

Traumatic Brain Injury Haunts Children for Years

By News-Medical.Net - May 26, 2009

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the single most common cause of death and disability in children and adolescents, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Now, according to a new study by UCLA researchers, the effects of a blow to the head, whether it's mild or a concussion, can linger for years.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army does not plan to introduce compulsory checks for traumatic brain injury (TBI) on all soldiers returning from battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Mainichi has learned.

Many U.S. soldiers who have fought in the two war zones suffer from TBI, caused primarily by being exposed to the blasts of improvised explosive devices (IED). The decision not to test all returning soldiers for the condition can be seen as a result of worries that testing would lead to a significant increase in medical costs and the number of TBI patients at a time when the U.S. Army is already facing protracted combat operations and insufficient numbers of troops. The policy was set in defiance of a recommendation by U.S. Army doctors.

A working group under the Office of The Surgeon General of the Army performed internal inspections regarding the diagnosis and treatment of TBI in 2007 and 2008. According to the inspection reports, in the autumn of 2007 the Army began to require examinations for TBI -- testing neurological functions such as memory and reaction time -- on soldiers heading out on combat tours. However, similar tests were not required for soldiers returning from war.

The working group's 2007 report pointed out that from 2003 to 2007 soldiers returning home from combat tours did not receive TBI examinations, and called for improvements. In the 2008 report, the working group advised the Army to examine all returning troops for TBI symptoms.

Some U.S. Army bases, including Fort Carlson, Colorado, independently require returning soldiers to undergo TBI tests. However, unless a returning soldier complains of headaches or dizziness, there is no need to require troops to undergo TBI exams, stated Lt. Col. Lynne Lowe, TBI program director in the Office of The Surgeon General of the Army, in comments to the Mainichi.

In March this year, the U.S. Department of Defense estimated that there are some 300,000 U.S. troops suffering from TBI. However, only around 20,000 soldiers had been diagnosed with the condition by the end of last year. It is thought that many soldiers mistakenly believe their symptoms are caused by combat stress and fatigue, and are not receiving treatment.

To read the original article click here. The Manichi Daily News - Manichi, Japan