30th Texas Brain Injury Alliance

Annual Conference

September 19, 2014

Austin Marriott North

Round Rock, Texas

September 19, 2014, people with brain injuries, researchers, family members, service providers, brain-injury advocates, staff of state and local government agencies, and students from across Texas will gather in Round Rock for Texas BIA’s 30^th Annual Conference.

Providers, professionals and those “who have been there” will present a wide range of programs including new compensating strategies, coping skills and exciting details about brain injury research, recovery successes and more. A relaxing luncheon will feature a keynote speaker and annual awards presentation. 2014  Statewide Annual Conference

 NEWS

NIH Calls for $4.5 billion investment to fund brain research

July 24–A federal report calls for $4.5 billion in funding for brain research over the next 12 years.

The long-term scientific vision of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative was presented today to National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, M.D who noted “How the brain works and gives rise to our mental and intellectual lives will be the most exciting and challenging area of science in the 21st century.”

New technologies, treatments and cures are expected to come from this research. A plan for a sustained commitment of $4.5 billion in federal funding over the next 10 years beginning in 2016 is part of the plan.

NIH plans to grant $40 million in 2014 for brain research, and President Obama has requested $100 million for the NIH component in 2015.

Senate Committee approves 2014 TBI Reauthorization Act

July 23--The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) approved the TBI Reauthorization Act of 2014, S. 2539 introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Bob Casey (D-PA).

This legislation addresses traumatic brain injury (TBI), a significant and expensive public health challenge, by supporting a variety of activities related to TBI at several agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, under the authority granted by the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1996 and subsequent reauthorizations.

The legislation reauthorizes programs to help ensure that hospitals and medical facilities have the resources they need to ensure that all patients with traumatic brain injuries get the care they need and includes an increased focus on brain injury management in children.

The Committee approved a TBI Manager’s Amendment which removed Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) from sections relating to the State and Protection & Advocacy grant programs leaving the administering agency to be determined by the Secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS). This is the same as the House bill.

The Amendment also included a provision calling for the Secretary of the HHS to develop a TBI Coordination Plan not later than 18 months after the date of enactment. And, a new section was added directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a scientific review of the management of children with the TBI.

The full Senate will need to pass the bill. As the bill differs from the House version, the House will need to consider these changes.

Welcome to Texas Brain Injury Alliance

Texas Brain Injury Alliance (TexasBIA) provides help, hope and a voice for Texans who have sustained a brain injury.

TexasBIA is the only Texas statewide non-profit organization wholly committed to helping brain injury survivors prevail. It is one of 24 state Brain Injury Alliances chartered by the United States Brain Injury Alliance and dedicated to improving lives for individuals who live with brain injury, their families, and the professionals who serve them through awareness, prevention, advocacy, support, research, education and community engagement.

Brain injury is not an event—it marks the start of a neurological disease that most often lasts a lifetime. Individuals who sustain a brain injury must have quick access to expert trauma care, followed by specialized rehabilitation and lifelong disease management to live healthy, independent and satisfying lives.