James M. Jeffords: “I am very pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act and I rise to confirm my support for the…”

“I am very pleased to be an original cosponsor of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act and I rise to confirm my support for the proposal and its goals. Two million persons suffer major head injuries every year, and of these 100,000 die. More young Americans in the 15- to 24-year age group die or sustain disabilities from such injuries than from any other cause. The many survivors of these traumatic occurrences, of all ages, often face irreversible loss of functions, including epilepsy or sustained coma. The victims, and their families, suffer emotional and financial devastation. In February 1989, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an interagency report that underlined the need for development of a national strategy to address the issues of prevention of traumatic brain injuries [TBI] and care of TBI survivors and their reintegration into society. The bill before us represents a necessary step towards making such a national strategy reality. Under the provisions of S. 725 we seek better coordination of existing resources for TBI survivors, expansion of our knowledge of effective treatments and, most important of all, more effective TBI prevention modalities. There will be increased services coordination at the Federal and State level which should assure greater and more effective access to care by TBI survivors and their families. Our knowledge of TBI will be improved through a data base system developed from uniform reporting.”