Platts Sustains Effort to Better Treat Patients With Traumatic Brain Injuries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation to strengthen federal support for traumatic brain injury (TBI) programs was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday by the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-8) and U.S. Congressman Todd Platts (PA-19).  Since the creation of the task force in 2001, its members have fought to improve medical services for soldiers suffering from TBIs, while also educating the public about such injuries.

It is estimated that 1.7 million people sustain a TBI each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  TBI has also been considered a contributing factor in nearly a third of all injury-related deaths in the United States.  Congress has acknowledged that TBI from blast exposures have become the “signature wound” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with it being estimated that 20 percent of deployed soldiers have suffered a brain injury.

“Congress needs to provide researchers, physicians and clinicians the tools they need to better identify, diagnose and treat patients who have sustained a TBI,” said Congressman Platts. “This legislation will address the need to create sustainable, comprehensive care programs to treat TBI patients and help them lead more productive lives.”

The Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2012 helps better coordinate TBI research and best practices, while creating a funding formula that gives states better access to TBI grant programs.  This legislation builds upon previous task force efforts to improve the screening of service members for brain injuries and to better protect student athletes from concussions.

Congress approved the Traumatic Brain Injury Act in 1996 and it was subsequently reauthorized in 2000 and 2008.  Congressman Platts has served as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Brain Injury Task Force since 2005. Now serving his final term in the U.S. House, Congressman Platts has been privileged to join Congressman Pascrell in fighting to raise public awareness regarding TBIs and to ensure that the men and women in our military receive the highest quality of medical treatment available in order to lead meaningful and productive lives post-injury.