BIAA, Rep. Giffords’ staff, Rep. Pascrell to Hold Media Briefing April 7
BIAA, Congresswoman Giffords’ staff and Congressman Pascrell will join together in a media briefing this Thursday, April 7, 2011, on affordable care act provisions for people with traumatic brain injury. Please see media advisory below. For more information, visit www.biausa.org.
MEDIA ADVISORY
Congress woman Giffords’ staff, Congressman Pascrell, Brain Injury Association of America join together on Affordable Care Act provisions for people with traumatic brain injury Participants will address “treatment gap” among those who have sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI)
WASHINGTON – April 5, 2011 — More Americans than ever are aware of the complexities of recovering from traumatic brain injury. That awareness was heightened by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ-8) and her recovery process after being severely wounded in the tragic shooting in Tucson, Ariz. in January.
In recent weeks, there has been growing concern about a “treatment gap” for individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury. On Thursday, members of Rep. Giffords’ staff, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8), Dr. Brent Masel, national medical director of the Brain Injury Association of America, and Dr. Keith D. Cicerone, director of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology at JFK Medical Center, Edison, N.J. will discuss the wide variability in access to TBI treatment. They will also call on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to correct this disparity in access to treatment through the Affordable Care Act to ensure all Americans with traumatic brain injury will have access to quality, affordable care.
WHEN: Thursday, April 7, 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cannon House Office Building Room 121
WHO:
- U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8)
Rep. Pascrell has been the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force for more than a decade. During that time, he has advanced legislation aimed at better protecting Americans from these injuries – from soldiers on the battlefield to young athletes on the ball field. As a House Ways and Means Committee member, he served on one of the three House committees that wrote the Affordable Care Act.
- Lauren Alfred, Legislative Aide to Rep. Giffords
Lauren Alfred serves as Rep. Giffords’ Legislative Assistant and liaison to the Blue Dog Coalition. She advises Rep. Giffords on issues related to health and the economy.
- Dr. Brent Masel, BIAA National Medical Director
Dr. Masel is the president and medical director at the Transitional Learning Center at Galveston, Texas and in February was named the National Medical Director for the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). He has conducted research and published in the area of headache pain management and is the on-call expert on all issues pertaining to brain injury from prevention to research to treatment, including rehabilitation.
- Dr. Keith D. Cicerone, Director of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology, JFK Medical Center, Edison, N.J.
Dr. Cicerone is the Project Director for the New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury Model System funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. He is the primary author of three evidence-based reviews of cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury and stroke. His research has addressed the development and validation of interventions for impairments of attention and executive functioning after traumatic brain injury, and controlled trials of holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation.
