Legislature(2009 - 2010)BUTROVICH 205
02/11/2009 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Bring the Kids Home | |
| SCR1 | |
| SB52 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | SCR 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 52 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SCR 1-BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH: MARCH 2009
2:22:36 PM
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SCR 1.
SENATOR MCGUIRE, presented the sponsor statement for SCR 1. She
said she brings this resolution every year, hoping to move one
heart or mind. This resolution draws awareness to traumatic
brain injury (TBI), to those who have suffered as well as their
families and care providers. Traumatic brain injury is a result
of damage to the brain as the result of a blunt trauma to the
head or violent shaking. Most victims go on to live with
permanent disabilities. The tragedy of TBI is exacerbated by the
fact that many of these injuries are preventable; so there is a
lot of guilt and frustration associated with this particular
type of injury. These injuries are life-altering and place
tremendous financial and emotional strain on families and their
victims. They often occur at an early age, before the victims
have secured a job, which means many years of tremendous medical
expenses and no way to cover them.
2:25:15 PM
Alaska again leads the United States for per capita traumatic
brain injury and TBI itself is one of the leading causes of
death to young people in this state. Over 800 traumatic brain
injuries are reported annually in Alaska and it is estimated
that over 12,000 Alaskans now living in the state have suffered
a traumatic brain injury. She reminded the committee that these
statistics are low; traumatic brain injury is a silent epidemic.
Many traumatic brain injuries are not reported because the
victims minimize or fail to understand the severity of their
injury; often they don't have access to health care to pay for
the MRI needed to understand the impact and potential long-term
damage. People with late stage manifestation of symptoms such as
learning problems, difficulty in judgment from frontal lobe
injury, difficulty in maintaining jobs and relationships, are
simply navigating through society without realizing their
problems are due to a brain injury.
SENATOR MCGUIRE continued; it is easy to see and understand an
injury like a broken limb and as a society we try to help, but
with a traumatic brain injury, there may be no visible signs. As
Alaskans, we need to be mindful that many of the people with
traumatic brain injury are living among us and it is incumbent
on us to do all we can.
The Brain Injury Association of America recognizes March each
year as Brain Injury Awareness Month; so this resolution would
comport with national recognition by making Alaska once again
recognize March 2009 as the state traumatic brain injury
awareness month.
She stated that there isn't enough done about TBI in this state;
they don't know how to reach families and individuals who are in
high risk categories and they are still dealing with insurance
issues, the overarching inability to respond quickly to treat
life-long consequences. TBI has economic consequences for the
state; it has social implications for the family and the state
and it is a preventable injury. Where the state can prevent it,
she said, she sees it as a place where the Senate HSS Committee
and the Senate as a whole should really direct attention. The
legislature already looks at helmet use and seat belts, which
are both very positive steps in the right direction. The Brain
Injury Network is a non-profit board that was formed five years
ago and is made up of TBI survivors, their family members and
those who make up the social organizations that respond, but
they are overwhelmed with the task. They don't have enough
money; they don't have enough support; they don't have enough
resources to get the word out. This resolution is also an
opportunity for survivors and their family members to get the
attention of the legislature.
2:31:08 PM
She spoke about her brother's accident. When he survived a
traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident at 17 years
old, there was no one for her family to turn to and a lack of
acute care. The landscape has changed, but there is still a long
way to go. She expressed her appreciation for Senator Davis's
support of brain injury awareness and for the committee's time.
2:32:04 PM
SENATOR THOMAS shared his support for this effort. He has a
nephew who was injured seven years ago. He is functioning now
but is having a lot of problems.
2:32:59 PM
SENATOR PASKVAN also supports this resolution. He understands
the difficulty from his 25 years of legal practice in the area
of personal injury. He agreed that to make this brain injury
awareness month is very appropriate.
2:34:16 PM
SENATOR MCGUIRE said she knows people in Senator Paskavan's
field who, in cases as recent as a month ago, have had
difficulty making jurors understand what traumatic brain injury
is and how profound and life-altering it can be.
She informed the committee that Alaska is one of 40 states
involved in a new pilot program called Impact that is being
carried out at Providence and Alaska Regional; they are working
with athletes in the schools, sports trainers, neurosurgeons and
neuropsychologists to understand cognitive brain damage and how
it can occur from seemingly minimal concussions. The hospitals
do brain scans immediately [after an incident] and test for
cognitive functions. The results will be part of the nationwide
results gathering effort that hopefully will lead to much better
understanding.
2:36:04 PM
CHAIR DAVIS thanked Senator McGuire and called for public
testimony on this resolution.
NANCY MICHAELSON, representing herself, Palmer, AK, is the
parent of a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury six
years ago. Her son, Aaron was in a coma for two weeks of the
month he spent at Providence Hospital. At that time, they were
fortunate enough to get Aaron admitted to Craig Rehabilitation
Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he spent the next six
months. She pointed out that she used the word "fortunate"
because her son had serious medical issues that needed
specialized care from a full team of doctors and he was able to
get that care in Denver while participating daily in a rehab
program specifically designed for brain injury patients. As a
result, although he has fairly low-level function, is mainly
immobile and speaks only a few words, he understands everything
that is said to him and is still improving even after six years.
2:37:58 PM
MS. MICHAELSON said that within the first 20 hours of their stay
at Craig Hospital, they were met with the attitude that Aaron
had widespread damage and they had a lot of work to do, so
they'd better get started right away. She stressed the
difference between that and the attitude of the doctors in
Alaska both before they left and after they returned. Yes, she
said, they were lucky to get Aaron into specialty brain injury
rehab center. The reason is hope, for Aaron's future and their
future as a family, for the life they can have regardless of his
cognitive difficulties or physical abilities. They came home
with the realization that they can fight for, move toward and
support quality of life for persons with brain injury regardless
of their stage of recovery or injury. They also learned to
appreciate the ability to look outside the box of traditional
physical rehab therapy and care programs to find approaches that
work for persons with brain injuries, always keeping in mind the
delicate balance between the physical abilities and the
cognitive realities.
2:39:22 PM
Insurance policies cover alternative approaches and there are
places these therapies can be found all over the United States;
but it has been very difficult to find them in Alaska. When the
Michaelsons returned to Alaska and visited with Aaron's rehab
doctor and staff for the first time, they expressed how
wonderful it was to have Aaron home with them; the medical
team's response was incredulity and even insulting comments. She
attributes their response to her family's outlook and their
acceptance that the only life they have is with their son,
regardless of what progress he makes or doesn't make and to a
general lack of awareness about brain injury.
MS. MICHAELSON commented that she finds the lack of awareness
about brain injury here in Alaska pretty amazing. Victims with
high needs and lower-level function, like her son, may look as
if they don't understand anything until they hear the right
joke, or get to do something they especially enjoy; then it is
clear that they understand more than is obvious. She thanked
Senator McGuire for mentioning the victims who show no outward
signs of damage. Some victims may walk, talk, drive, and teach
art, but be unable to balance a checkbook, keep a job, answer a
telephone or remember the routine they have to go through every
night to go to bed.
MS. MICHAELSON said her family has encountered a lot of problems
obtaining medical rehab or therapy since they got back to Alaska
due in part to the fact that Aaron started his therapy outside.
She fears for the growing number of returning veterans [who may
face similar difficulties in dealing with brain injuries].
Aaron's injury has affected his life and the life of her family,
He will require guardianship for the rest of his life; this kind
of psychological and emotional reality can and does break most
families. In her family, his care totally consumes their
schedules and finances since the injury; she lost her job when
he was injured because she had to take care of him. Brain injury
is known as "the silent epidemic," but it really isn't; there
are the sleepless nights and crying from pain Aaron doesn't
understand.
Above all else though, she is thankful that he is at home with
his family and that is where the legislature comes in. She
believes Alaskans deserve a local rehabilitation option that can
give them the chance to get on the road to whatever recovery is
possible and learn to live life to its fullest potential even
after surviving brain injury. But before that can happen,
Alaskans have to talk about awareness, awareness of the large
number of Alaskans who suffer brain injuries annually, awareness
of the wide scope of their rehabilitation needs, awareness of
the impact of brain injury on families and awareness that many
brain injuries can be prevented. The legislature can help all of
that become reality by passing this resolution.
2:44:02 PM
JILL HODGES, Director, Alaska Brain Injury Awareness Network
(ABIN), Anchorage, AK, thanked the Senators and all of those who
shared their personal stories. She feels very positive about the
future for people with brain injury here in Alaska and thinks
that they will soon move toward getting services they need here.
She wanted to highlight some successful TBI prevention
activities happening in the state and some upcoming challenges
the Brain Injury Network might face in preventing recurring
brain injuries among civilians and returning service members.
2:45:30 PM
With regard to successful TBI prevention activities, she cited
passage of the primary seatbelt law in 2003, saying that since
2001, brain injuries due to motor vehicle accidents have
decreased 38 percent. Motor vehicle accidents still cause brain
injuries, however 56 percent of those who suffer brain injury in
vehicle accidents were not wearing their seatbelts. Another
topic Senator McGuire touched on is the Impact Program, which is
a partnership between Providence Neurosurgery Clinic, the
Anchorage School District, the Mental Health Trust Authority and
the Brain Injury Network dealing with concussion management. A
CNN article recently covered brain injury among NFL players who
suffer concussions. In the past, people thought a concussion
might put athletes out of operation for a week or two before
they would be back on their feet; they are finding that multiple
concussions are causing lifelong damage to the brain that is not
showing up on CT scans or MRIs.
MS. HODGES continued; when people talk about prevention, they
are generally talking about preventing the primary injury; once
one has had a brain injury however, that person is more likely
to have recurrences with even more disabling effects. For
example, a woman came in to the Resource Navigation Program for
brain injury victims earlier this week; she had come in two
years before to talk about her pregnant daughter, who suffered
brain injury in a motor vehicle accident and needed a lot of
help after she was released from the hospital. She said that her
daughter recently had another accident, incurred a second brain
injury and is now in a nursing facility.
2:48:15 PM
She expressed concern about how this problem will affect our
returning service members; those with moderate to severe
injuries remain in the lower 48 for treatment, but many are
coming home with mild brain injuries. These veterans will be
going back to rural Alaska and statistics show that Alaska
Natives and residents of rural Alaska have the highest rates of
brain injuries from causes such as ATV and snow machine
accidents; 69 percent of those victims are not wearing helmets
at the time of their injuries. ABIN worries that the returning
service members are going to be very active when they return,
perhaps living subsistence lifestyles and those communities need
to be aware that they need to prevent further injury to this
population.
2:49:06 PM
During the month of March, the Brain Injury Network will be
working closely with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium,
the Department of Health and Social Services, the Mental Health
Trust Authority and the veterans' clinic at Elmendorf AFB, doing
press conferences, publishing newspaper ads, television
commercials, and YouTube and Facebook video for the youth. The
VA has offered to sponsor a public health forum in the month of
March as well. They did that last year and had about 50 people
in Anchorage show up for their presentation.
MS. HODGES thanked the Senators for their leadership in
promoting healthy lives and said she looks forward to working
with them on future legislation to improve the service system
for people with brain injuries.
2:50:23 PM
CHAIR DAVIS the will of the committee.
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report SCR 1 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There
being no objection, it was so ordered.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
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| REVISED2 BB BTKH Leg Presentation Wed.ppt |
SHSS 2/11/2009 1:30:00 PM |