Over the next few weeks, both the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees will be working to craft the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations bill, which will provide the funding allocation for programs authorized through the TBI Act and for NIDRR’s TBI-related research programs, including TBI Model Systems of Care.

Federal funding for these important TBI programs has remained stagnant over the last several years, as Congress has not provided increases sufficient to keep up with the increasing cost of doing business. The urgent need for increased federal support for a national TBI public health infrastructure and TBI research is further heightened by the recognition of TBI as the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With a new Administration in power, and a renewed focus on improving the nation’s health care system, the need to adequately fund TBI programs must be clearly communicated to Members of Congress IMMEDIATELY.

Also this week, BIAA supported the Lifetime Caps Coalition by cosigning a letter to encourage the reintroduction of the Health Insurance Coverage Protection Act, legislation that would increase the minimum lifetime health insurance spending cap of those with chronic illnesses.

The coalition has reported that next Tuesday, February 10, 2009, is the tentative date for reintroduction. BIAA will continue to monitor this legislation and offer support where needed.

Senate moderates worked late into Thursday night looking for a compromise that would scale back the economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) towards the $800 billion mark. A few Democratic moderates were convinced last night that they were inching closer to a deal that would win support from a small group of Republicans and perhaps give the package enough votes to pass.

House and Senate leaders would like to begin conference negotiations on the package early next week with the goal of getting a final product to President Obama by the end of next week.

BIAA has signed on to several coalition letters related to this stimulus legislation, including a letter supporting the inclusion of public health provisions in the bill. The goal of this coalition letter, spearheaded by the Trust for America’s Health, is to show a broad base of support for the inclusion of wellness and public prevention provisions in the final bill.

Although it was reported last week that the House would take up the Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) appropriations omnibus bill on Wednesday, February 4, Democratic leaders changed their mind out of concern that consideration of the bill may interfere with passing the economic stimulus package (H.R. 1).

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer reported that the House will likely keep the FY09 appropriations omnibus bill on hold until after the President’s Day recess.

Because the stopgap funding of the Continuing Resolution passed last fall (that extends funding in FY09 with FY08 levels) is set to expire on March 6, 2009, Congress must move quickly to pass FY09 appropriations soon.

BIAA will continue to monitor developments closely as we near the March 6th deadline.

The month of January in Sacramento has sadly been like the most previous recent months in Sacramento when it comes to the Legislature and Governor successfully dealing with California’s Budget crisis. That is: no resolution to date.

The $41 billion Budget deficit has now over shadowed any and all legislative actions and plans.

We are currently among every other represented group in Sacramento trying to get legislators and the Governor’s attention to our issues, and unfortunately, with little success. To date, less then 300 bills have been introduced, wherein during a typical Session over 900 would have been introduced. Not a single committee hearing has taken place on ANY legislation other than proposals related to developing a Budget solution.

Until the Budget crisis is resolved, no other legislative issues will be addressed. We continue our efforts with leaders in the Senate to promote our Brain Injury Initiative proposals. Once the Budget is addressed, we will be on our way.

People who received a mild electrical current to a motor control area of the brain were significantly better able to learn and perform a complex motor task than those in control groups. The findings could hold promise for enhancing rehabilitation for people with traumatic brain injury, stroke and other conditions.

The study is presented in the January 20, 2009 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and was conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research team from NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) worked in collaboration with investigators at Columbia University in New York City and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Motor skills, which are used for activities from typing and driving, to sports, require practice and learning over a prolonged period of time. During practice, the brain encodes information about how to perform the task, but even during periods of rest, the brain is still at work strengthening the memory of doing the task. This process is known as consolidation.

Subjects in this study were presented with a novel and challenging motor task, which involved squeezing a “joy stick” to play a targeting game on a computer monitor, which they practiced over five consecutive days. During practice, one group received 20 minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and the other group received only a 30 second “sham” stimulation. tDCS involves mild electrical stimulation applied through surface electrodes on the head, and works by modulating the excitability, or activity, of cells in the brain’s outermost layers. In this study, Dr. Cohen and his team directed tDCS to the primary motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls movement.

Over the five-day training period, the skill of the tDCS group improved significantly more that that of the control (sham) group, apparently through an effect on consolidation. During the three month follow-up period, the two groups forgot the skill at about the same rate, but the tDCS group continued to perform better because they had learned the skill better by the end of training.

Please join the California Brain Injury Association for a gala event at the 3rd Annual Greek Dinner & Dance For Thought at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Cultural Center Hall in Long Beach. This event will kick off Brain Injury Awareness Month in California and provide the opportunity to advocate for individuals with brain injury who are not able to advocate for themselves.

The attendees will be greeted with the sound of Greek music by Synthesi and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a traditional dinner by Thank Goodness It’s Sophia, and entertainment by a youth Greek Dance Group. Dr. Rick Adams of the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center will emcee the event and a Silent Auction is also planned.

Tickets are $100 per person and are now available for purchase online from the CALBIA website at: www.calbia. org or by completing the form below and mailing a check to the CALBIA office.

Register online now for the 2nd Annual Statewide Walk For Thought. CALBIA has contracted with a new online processor that has made it easy to register and solicit additional donations to benefit CALBIA and the other nonprofit organizations that are helping to coordinate the walks. To access the registration page, logon to the CALBIA website at www.calbia.org and click on the appropriate link. Once on the registration page, you can register as an individual walker, join an existing team, or create a new team. You will be prompted to create an individual page that will allow you to solicit donations from family, friends, and colleagues by sending e-mails with auto generated donation requests. You will have the option to customize your page with your own photos and message. The dates and locations for the Walks are noted below:

March 14, 2009
Bakersfield – Yokuts Park
Sacramento – William Land Park

March 28, 2009
San Diego – Mission Bay Park at De
Anza Cove
San Francisco / East Bay – Lakeside
Park (Lake Merritt)

For more information about the Walks, or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Paula Daoutis at (661) 872-4903 or by e-mail at paula@calbia.org

In December 2001, my husband of 9 ½ years sustained a severe hypoxic/anoxic brain injury. At the time, we had a 7- year-old daughter and a 23- month-old son. Up to that point, we were like every typical family going with the flow of the ups and downs of daily life. The events of December 27, 2001, changed all our lives forever.

Following Jeff’s injury, he has received exceptional care. Although frustrating at times with all of the red tape, we were fortunate that this was a worker’s comp case, as they have approved care for Jeff that many aren’t able to receive. He was fortunate to undergo two years of intensive rehab at a facility in California, however, due to the severity of his injury there hasn’t been a lot of carryover, and now, because to the level of care needed, he resides in a care facility in Fresno. Jeff is 100% dependent on others for all activities of daily living. It may seem like there’s not much more to say but that is far from the truth.

When Jeff sustained his brain injury, I lost my best friend, sounding board, dance partner, and comic relief. Our daughter lost a father that she loved more than anything. She was the apple of his eye and Jeff absolutely adored her. Our son lost the opportunity to know a father that loved his little boy more than the world. Our family and friends lost a brother, nephew, friend and comedian they all loved to hang out with. Jeff lost the ability to live his life like we all want to and take for granted. He is unable to remove an eyelash from his eyes, pick up or hug his children, and do the most mundane of tasks like brushing his teeth and combing his hair.

But it still doesn’t end here. What we have gained is a look into the world of brain injury. No, it isn’t always a pretty sight but it is one that so many live in and so many more haven’t a clue exists. Jeff is not able to walk or talk, but he is able to laugh and cry. He has no problem letting you know he is upset, whether it is through yelling or a very familiar scowl. He will flash you a smile when he is happy that brings giggles from all who see it; mostly, because he couldn’t do a lot of this for the first few years of his recovery.

We are only able to see each other about once a week since we do not live in the same town and I work, and take care of our very active children, preside over a brain injury foundation in Jeff’s name, and a newly organized support group to help others dealing with the life changing effects of brain injury. Jeff comes home for visits with us and we travel frequently to see him. With some help, he plays Guitar Hero with his kids and we tell him about the happenings of a teenage daughter and 9-year-old son. Plans are in motion for our daughter’s 8th grade graduation. Our daughter Gabbi wants him to be at her graduation but due to his condition, he can’t. He can, however, attend the rehearsals and see his daughter getting ready for graduation. We try to incorporate life into all of our visits. Whether it is playing catch with Alex by placing a basket in Jeff’s lap and letting Alex toss a Nerf ball to him or bringing him home to watch his daughter be baptized, where he began sobbing once the worship team began singing. Whenever someone asks if we think he knows what is going on, we can answer without hesitation, “Yes!”

Early on, during many of our walks and talks, Jeff’s sister and I questioned, “What would people do if they didn’t have family like Auntie M, experience, or advocacy through the worker’s comp carrier, etc.?” I tend to be a “bulldog” when it comes to my husband’s care and condition, especially in the beginning when we were still trying to take it all in. My husband’s injury left me a single parent, an advocate for him and, now an advocate for others with brain injury. Jeff’s injury has shown me that I am stronger than I thought I was when first presented with this change in life plans.

Together with family and friends, we started the Jeff Barnes Brain Injury Foundation in 2005. The idea behind the formation of the foundation was to provide advocacy for survivors, family members and others affected by brain injury, but also to educate the public and bring about awareness.

Our biggest and most successful form of education has been outreach through bicycle rodeos and visits to preschools. We have fit over 2,000 children with helmets in Tulare County. We, in conjunction with the Visalia Police Department, hold multiple bicycle rodeos each year. We were successful in procuring a grant through First 5 of Tulare County to purchase helmets and provide education to children under age 6. In June 2008, we began a brain injury support group in Visalia. Although the support group is facilitated by the foundation board, therapy staff from Kaweah Delta’s Rehabilitation Hospital has joined in and a staff member attends each meeting. The support group meets monthly and alternates between sharing sessions and education. Our numbers have increased from two people to over 15 regular attendees.

As a young adult, I wanted to get involved in the community but didn’t really know of the opportunities. Jeff’s injury changed that for me. His brain injury has brought about involvement in so many different worthwhile charities and community events. Although the Jeff Barnes Brain Injury Foundation is still a smaller public charity in the Central Valley of California, I know that it is doing great things and will continue to do so because of the passion Jeff created in us. Our children have been able to see the good that can come from something so tragic and life changing and have become much more understanding and compassionate individuals. I have found that I have learned to be much more understanding of the person that begins to cry so easily, becomes frustrated over what I would consider something minor, or raises his voice when you tell him his paperwork is late. I know that everyone has a story. Everyone has a loss. You don’t know where the person that raised his voice or the one that began to cry is going or where they just came from.

You don’t know if they just received some horrible, life changing news. Jeff’s injury has taught me so many lessons about compassion for others that can only be learned from something as significant as a brain injury.

For more information about the Jeff Barnes Brain Injury Foundation or the newly formed support group in Visalia, please contact Cheri Barnes at (559) 679-3702 or go the foundation website at www.jbarnesfoundation.org

FY09 Appropriations continues to stall due to the Economic Stimulus Package that has been the focus of both the House and the Senate this week. However, because the stopgap funding of the Continuing Resolution, (that extends funding in FY2009 with FY2008 levels) is set to expire on March 6, 2009, Congress must move quickly to pass FY09 Appropriations soon after the stimulus package has cleared.