00                  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 17                                                                   
01 Relating to establishing March 2008 as Brain Injury Awareness Month.                                                    
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability among                                 
04 children and young adults in the State of Alaska; and                                                                   
05       WHEREAS an estimated 12,000 people in the State of Alaska have suffered a                                       
06 traumatic brain injury; and                                                                                           
07       WHEREAS approximately 800 people in the State of Alaska report traumatic brain                                  
08 injuries each year; and                                                                                                 
09       WHEREAS the number of Alaskans with a traumatic brain injury is increasing                                      
10 significantly as military service members injured overseas return home to Alaska; and                                 
11       WHEREAS 20 percent of traumatic brain injuries result in death; and                                             
12       WHEREAS many people who suffer traumatic brain injuries live with permanent                                     
13 disabilities; and                                                                                                       
14       WHEREAS most cases of traumatic brain injury are preventable; and                                               
15       WHEREAS the lack of public awareness is so vast that traumatic brain injury is                                  
16 known in the disability community as the nation's "silent epidemic"; and                                                

01       WHEREAS the Brain Injury Association of America has recognized the month of                                     
02 March each year as Brain Injury Awareness Month;                                                                        
03       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the life-altering                                   
04 effect that traumatic brain injury may have on people living with disabilities resulting from                           
05 traumatic brain injury and on their families; and be it                                                                 
06       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the need for                                      
07 enhanced public awareness of the effects of traumatic brain injury; and be it                                           
08       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the designation                                     
09 of March 2008 as Brain Injury Awareness Month and encourages the people of the state to                                 
10 observe Brain Injury Awareness Month with appropriate programs and activities.