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NEW YORK – Chairman John Conyers and the U.S. House Judiciary Committee received a public thank you from the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation for continuing their efforts to discover ways to prevent and identify sports-related brain injuries in youth athletes by hosting another congressional hearing in New York City on Monday morning, May 24.
Sarah Jane Donohue, the namesake of the foundation, along with other brain injury survivors were in attendance at the hearing to thank Chairman Conyers and recognize the Members of the Judiciary Committee who have already endorsed the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan through their co-sponsorship of H. Con. Res. 198.
“The work the Judiciary Committee has conducted in opening the Pandora’s Box of the lives of families who have a child or young adult suffering from a brain injury has been remarkable,” said Patrick Donohue.“The message of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation is one of hope: implementing the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan (PABI Plan) to develop a seamless, standardized, evidence-based system of care universally accessible for the millions of PABI families.” Patrick Donohue is the founder of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and father of 4-year-old Sarah Jane.
“We are very grateful to the Members of the Judiciary Committee who have already agreed to co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 198 and endorse the PABI Plan,” said Dr. Ron Savage. “It is clear the United States Congress has recognized the crisis these millions of families face as they navigate the current arbitrary system of care and these leaders are taking action to address this crisis.” Dr. Savage is the President of the North American Brain Injury Society and a member of the Steering Committee of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation International Advisory Board.
“Concussions are dangerous and life-threatening,” said Congressman Steven Cohen (TN-9). “We know that pediatric acquired brain injury is the leading case of death and disability for children and young adults. It is vital we do more to educate student athletes about and protect them from the dangers of youth sports concussions. Congressman Cohen is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and a co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 198.
Dr. Gerard Gioia commented, “With sports-related brain injuries receiving an increase in awareness lately, it is critical we focus on the most vulnerable which are our nation’s youth since their brains are still undergoing significant developmental changes. Chairman Conyers deserves a considerable amount of credit for the work he and the Judiciary Committee have already done and its impact cannot be overstated.” Dr. Gioia is the National Lead Director for the “mild TBI” Category of Care within the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan developed by Dr. Gioia and his colleagues on the International Advisory Board of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation. He is the Chief of Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology and Director of the Safe Concussions Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program at Children’s National Medical Center.
There are over 100 co-sponsors of H. Con. Res. 198 from 40 states in which Congress –
1) Recognizes that PABI is the leading cause of death and disability for American children from birth to 25 years of age
2) Endorses the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan as the method to prevent PABI and treat these millions of children and young adults while supporting their families
3) Encourages all Federal, State and local governments to implement the PABI Plan
(Emphasis added and for the full exact text of H. Con. Res. 198 as well as the complete list of co-sponsors please visit: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.CON.RES.198:)
The following Members of the Judiciary Committee are already co-sponsors of H. Con. Res. 198:
* Tammy Baldwin (WI-2)
* Steven Cohen (TN-9)
* Bill Delahunt (MA-10)
* Randy Forbes (VA-4)
* Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18)
* Hank Johnson (GA-4)
* Tom Rooney (FL-16)
* Loretta Sanchez (CA-39)
* Robert Scott (VA-3)
* Melvin Watt (NC-12)
Details of Monday’s hearing:
U.S. House Judiciary Committee Hearing titled, “Key Issues Related to the Identification and Prevention of Head Injuries in Football”
Monday, May 24, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
1 Bowling Green, New York, New York
Confirmed witnesses:
* Dr. Hunt Batjer, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, co-chair of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Medical Committee
* Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, Director of Neurological Surgery, Harborview Medical Center, co- chair of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Medical Committee
* Dr. Thom Mayer, Medical Director, National Football League Players Association
* Corey Louchiey, former Buffalo Bill, President, NFLPA New York Metropolitan Area Retired Players Chapter
* Dr. Walter Koroshetz, Deputy Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders, National Institutes of Health
* Charlotte Bingham, Managing Director of the Equal Opportunity Office and Associate Vice Chancellor of Administration, Texas Tech University System
* Daniel Alkon, Scientific Director, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute
For more information about The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation as well to read the entire National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan (PABI Plan) please visit www.TheBrainProject.org.