00 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 10 01 Proclaiming March 2022 as Brain Injury Awareness Month. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 03 WHEREAS the month of March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month, a time to 04 recognize the prevalence of brain injuries and help improve quality of life for individuals who 05 have sustained a brain injury; and 06 WHEREAS the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a traumatic brain 07 injury as a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, 08 or jolt to the head or penetrating head injury; and 09 WHEREAS traumatic and acquired brain injuries can happen to anyone and can bring 10 a lifetime of secondary health conditions, including persistent concussion symptoms, post- 11 traumatic stress injury, physical impairment, developmental delays, paralysis, cognitive and 12 behavioral problems, suicidal thoughts, and a greater risk for dementia, including Alzheimer's 13 disease, which may present lifelong challenges for individuals and their families; and 14 WHEREAS traumatic brain injuries, which often result from motor vehicle accidents, 15 falls, assaults, domestic violence, and sports and occupational injuries, are largely 16 preventable; and 01 WHEREAS the rate of identified traumatic and acquired brain injuries in the state is 02 significantly higher than the national rate; and 03 WHEREAS between 3,200,000 and 5,300,000 Americans live with long-term 04 disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injuries; and 05 WHEREAS, in 2016, approximately 27,000,000 new cases of traumatic brain injuries 06 were reported worldwide; and 07 WHEREAS the Brain Injury Association of America reports that every nine seconds 08 someone in the United States sustains a brain injury; and 09 WHEREAS approximately 137 people die every day in the United States because of 10 traumatic brain injury-related injuries; and 11 WHEREAS traumatic and acquired brain injuries may lead to homelessness, 12 substance or alcohol misuse, criminal behavior, domestic violence, or incorrectly diagnosed 13 mental or behavioral health disorders; and 14 WHEREAS access to education, assessment, support, and care can greatly improve 15 quality of life for an individual who has suffered a traumatic or acquired brain injury and 16 enable the individual to return to the individual's home, school, workplace, and community, 17 reducing the overall cost of care; and 18 WHEREAS, during the past decade, an increase in research dedicated to traumatic 19 brain injury has improved understanding of the long-lasting, dynamic nature of the 20 pathophysiology resulting from, and the brain's capacity to adapt in response to, traumatic 21 brain injury; and 22 WHEREAS policymakers have a responsibility to promote the safety and well-being 23 of our communities, including prevention of brain injuries, through resolutions and person- 24 centered policies; and 25 WHEREAS the global project Unmasking Brain Injury and other similar projects 26 seek to give survivors of traumatic and acquired brain injuries a voice, to promote brain injury 27 awareness and education, and to eliminate stigma and discrimination by showing that an 28 individual living with a brain injury deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and 29 compassion and deserves full inclusion in the individual's community; and 30 WHEREAS Brain Injury Awareness Month is recognized by the Department of 31 Defense; and 01 WHEREAS, since 2000, over 430,000 service members have sustained traumatic 02 brain injuries; 03 BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives proclaims March 2022 as 04 Brain Injury Awareness Month and encourages residents of the state to further public 05 awareness of the effects of brain injuries and the importance of taking steps to prevent brain 06 injuries.