The House of Representatives voted last Tuesday on a bill to expand research and surveillance of traumatic brain injuries. The new legislation will also help to ensure that all newborns get adequate screening for genetic or metabolic diseases. The brain trauma bill, passed 392-1 by the House, which has already been approved by the Senate, and the Senate is expected to act soon to send it to President Bush for his signature.

The legislation authorizes National Institutes of Health programs through fiscal year 2011 and directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a study into national traumatic brain injury trends and identify treatments. It also supports Health Resources Service Administration grants to fund state projects to improve access to rehabilitation.

Representative Bill Pascrell, D-N.J.,  was a chief sponsor of the bill, and said that up to two-thirds of those wounded in Iraq have injuries affecting the brain, and many, especially those from the National Guard and the Reserves, have to turn to civilian care because their injuries are initially misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed.

This is a huge step in the care and resources that will be available to those suffering from traumatic brain injuries. You can read more on the bill and the positive effects it will have for those in need here.

Continue . . .