04/07/2004 05:45 PM Senate HES

         HCR 31-TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  RYAN  MAKINSTER,  staff  to  Representative  Lesil  McGuire,                                                               
presented CSHCR  31(HES) on behalf of  the sponsor.  He  began by                                                               
telling members  that there was  a request for an  amendment that                                                               
would proclaim  May rather than  April as Traumatic  Brain Injury                                                               
Awareness Month.   He explained that every 21  seconds someone in                                                               
the U.S.  sustains a traumatic  brain injury (TBI),  which equals                                                               
more than  4,000 people  daily.   Of the  approximately 1,500,000                                                               
people  who  suffer these  injuries  annually,  50,000 die  while                                                               
another 80,000  sustain life-changing injuries.   In Alaska alone                                                               
at least  600 people receive  acute care for brain  injuries, 150                                                               
Alaskans die,  and another 190  experience the onset  of lifelong                                                               
disabilities because  of traumatic  brain injuries.   TBI  is not                                                               
something that one can  find a cure for and it  is not a disease.                                                               
They are  the result of accidents.   The only way  to lower these                                                               
numbers is  to increase  awareness.   Males below  the age  of 30                                                               
have  a higher  risk of  TBIs.   A lot  of professional  skaters,                                                               
skiers,  and snowboarders  wear helmets  now; people  should wear                                                               
helmets and seatbelts to lower the incidence of injury.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.   MAKINSTER   offered   the   background   information   that                                                               
Representative McGuire's younger brother -  who is his same age -                                                               
experienced a  head-on collision during  his senior year  and was                                                               
in a coma for  three months.  He came out  of the coma, graduated                                                               
from high school, went to college  and is a productive citizen in                                                               
society  but, he  has lifelong  disabilities  including a  speech                                                               
impediment.   The jobs that were  available to him are  no longer                                                               
available.   Mr.  Makinster told  members that  one of  his close                                                               
friends was involved in a jet-ski  accident in Idaho and was in a                                                               
coma for six months.  He  had been a straight-A student, all-star                                                               
athlete, had  a full scholarship  to Washington  State University                                                               
to play football.  Subsequently he  had to drop out of school for                                                               
two years  for rehabilitation.   He did eventually  graduate from                                                               
college with a 4.0; however,  he has to take expensive medication                                                               
for the rest of his life.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. MAKINSTER  respectfully requested that three  changes be made                                                               
to  HCR 31.    The first  change  would  be on  page  1, line  1,                                                               
changing "April"  to "May" of  2004.  Also, an  associated change                                                               
would be to change the language to  "May" on page 2, line 6.  The                                                               
reason  for  this  change  is because  today's  date  is  already                                                               
partially  through April,  2004.    Also this  would  then be  in                                                               
concert  with the  Kenai  Peninsula's TBI  Awareness  Week.   The                                                               
third change  would be to  insert "Alaska Traumatic  Brain Injury                                                               
Advisory Board" after the word "the" on page 1, line 14.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  moved to amend CSHCR  31(HES) to change the  date to                                                               
reflect May instead of April of  2004, and to include the "Alaska                                                               
Traumatic  Brain  Advisory Board"  and  asked  if there  was  any                                                               
objection.    Seeing  and hearing  none,  those  amendments  were                                                               
adopted.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  thanked Mr. Makinster,  noting that  perhaps someone                                                               
would be saved or would receive  support as a result of increased                                                               
awareness.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRETCHEN GUESS  moved to report CSHCR 31  as amended [SCS                                                               
CSHCR 31(HES)]  out of committee with  individual recommendations                                                               
and the accompanying zero fiscal note.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON asked if there was  any objection.  There being none,                                                               
it was so ordered.