Help raise awareness through the #NotAloneinBrainInjury campaign!
www.biausa.org 
​More than 3.5 million children and adults sustain an acquired brain injury (ABI) each year, but the total incidence is unknown. 
An ABI is any injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. 

• Typical causes of ABI include: Electric Shock 
• Infectious Disease 
• Lightning Strike 
• Near Drowning 
• Oxygen Deprivation (Hypoxia/Anoxia) 
• Seizure Disorders 
• Stroke 
• Substance Abuse 
• Toxic Exposure 
• Trauma 
• Tumor 

More than 12 million Americans live with the impact of ABI. 
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a subset of ABI and is caused by trauma to the brain from an external force. 
At least 2.5 million children and adults sustain TBIs in the U.S. each year: 2.2 million are treated in emergency departments for TBI each year. 
280,000 are hospitalized for TBI each year. 
50,000 die because of TBI each year. 
The number of people who sustain TBIs and do not seek treatment is unknown. 
Every 13 seconds, someone in the U.S. sustains a TBI. 
One of every 60 people in the U.S. lives with a TBI-related disability. 
Every day, 137 people in the U.S. die because of a TBI-related injury. 

There are many causes of TBI: Falls – 40.5% 
Struck by/against – 15.5% 
Motor vehicle – 14.3% 
Assaults – 10.7% 
Unknown – 19% 


At least 5.3 million Americans live with TBI-related disabilities. 
When someone sustains a brain injury, many people are affected: Survivors and their parents, spouses, siblings, extended families, and friends 
Healthcare providers, including surgeons, physicians, counselors, rehab therapists, social workers, and personal care attendants 
Insurance companies that issue auto accident, individual, and group health, disability, life and re-insurance policies 
Attorneys of all types, including those who handle personal injury, insurance and disability claims, civil rights/discrimination, domestic actions, wills, estates, and trusts 
Educators at every level, but especially special education teachers and those who prepare America’s future healthcare workforce 
Government agencies that administer health and social programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), vocational rehab.

Almost fifty years ago, Craig J. Phillips sustained a traumatic brain injury. He earned a graduate degree in rehabilitation counseling in 1990 from the University of Kentucky and has made a lifetime commitment educating people about TBI. He is also a TBI advocate who has an extensive website, Second Chance to Live, full of resources. To date, the site includes:

• 1610 articles
• 317 video presentations
• 10 eBooks

Check out Craig's story and resource center here. 
​
Congratulations Craig on your accomplishments and for educating so many people! 

If you are dealing with a traumatic brain injury after an accident, then you have to consider the following advice.
The CDC estimates that 1.5 million people in the U.S. experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. The organization also points out that most of the injuries occur because of motor vehicle crashes and bicycle or motorcycle accidents. In many cases, patients are left with long-term disabilities that affect the quality of their lives. If you or your loved ones are dealing with TBI, then you may want to consider these tips.

​Read more here.

Bay Pines, FL – Dr. Jorge Villalba, Neuropsychiatrist at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System was presented an award by the Special Forces Association for his work with Service Members and Veterans who’ve sustained traumatic brain injury and other neuropsychiatric disorders.  The award read, “for dedication and duty for treating individuals who bear the scars of war.”
Dr. Villalba began working at Bay Pines 4 years ago and currently runs a clinic where he treats very complex cases which involve physical, medical, neurological, and psychiatric needs. 

​Read more here.

Suppose that a million or more members of the US Armed Forces and veterans were suffering from an epidemic that could not be prevented, treated or cured — and 20 of them were dying from it every day. Would we address it as a national emergency, mobilizing resources, coordinating research, and insisting on answers?
They are — but we aren’t. It’s time for that to change.
Nearly 350,000 service member and veterans have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) since 2001. Even more have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twenty veterans commit suicide every day, most of them as a direct result of these conditions.
​Read more here.

The computer-delivered therapy is designed to improve speed and effectiveness of eye movements to better compensate for visual field loss.
The program called NeuroEyeCoach can be considered to be the first evidence based registered medical device accessible to patients at home or in clinical settings.
Published in academic journal Biomed Research International, is a report of a collaborative study between researchers in Aberdeen, LMU University of Munich and University of Verona showing that NeuroEyeCoach is an effective compensatory approach for those with visual field loss after stroke.

​Read more here.

THURSDAY, Sept. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Deep brain stimulation -- a technique that sends targeted electrical impulses to certain areas of the brain -- may help people who've had a traumatic brain injury gain more independence, a new study suggests.
"Traumatic brain injury is a common condition with over 80,000 new cases of disability each year," said Dr. Ali Rezai. He's director of the Neurological Institute at Ohio State University in Columbus.
"There are few treatment options to help these individuals. The outcomes of this study demonstrate, however, improvements in disability, functional outcomes, independence, behavioral and emotional regulation, and self-control after two years with DBS [deep brain stimulation] treatment," Rezai said.

​Read more here.

Randy Dexter and Captain are more than just dog owner and dog. That’s obvious from the way Captain looks for Dexter whenever the Army veteran leaves the room, and the way the Lab mix’s demeanor slips instantly from playful to dead serious once he’s wearing the jacket that denotes his status as a service animal.
Dexter is a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant who did two tours of duty in Iraq. He was diagnosed with both post-traumatic stress disorder and a mild traumatic brain injury, and the story of Dexter and Captain is featured in a new awareness campaign urging veterans and military service people to seek help for traumatic brain injury if they need it.

​Read more here.

When people write about Dr. Alisa D. Gean, they use phrases like “acknowledged global expert,” and “world-class neuroradiologist.” The work that draws such praise is her look at traumatic brain injury (TBI) from its sources in bombings and battle.
Dr. Gean’s single-author text, Brain Injury: Applications from War and Terrorism, pulls together her decades of interest in TBI, and her dedication to men and women who have been injured in the line of duty.  The books includes information and research gathered from nearly 30 years studying civilian TBI and five intensive years studying TBI sustained from combat, terrorism, and natural disasters.
Read more here. 

On a day the NFL announced a $100 million initiative toward improving player safety, commissioner Roger Goodell had a message for parents who are skeptical of letting their children play football due to the concussion risk.

"I understand the skepticism of the NFL,'' Goodell told Matt Lauer in an exclusive interview on TODAY Wednesday. "But let me just go to the American Academy of Pediatrics. They have looked at this issue of young kids coming into football, and they have said, 'It's about proper coaching, improve the techniques. Do the things necessary to limit contacts.' Those are changes that we have been making."
​
Goodell believes changes being implemented at the lowest levels of football are making the game safer.
"I went by a youth football practice the other day and was watching it,'' he said. "I see how they're teaching the game differently. That's great for football, but that's also great for all other sports."
In an open letter in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal, Goodell announced the league's "Play Smart Play Safe" initiative in which $100 million is being put toward medical research and developing new technology to make the game safer for its players.

​Read more here.