The Daoist Diaries

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey has been selected as the State Lead Center of Excellence for New Jersey. The BIANJ will implement the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan (PABI Plan) which was developed by the National Advisory Board of The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation.

The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation is planning to make a public announcement of those states chosen on June 5, 2009, in Washington, D.C.  June 5th will be a pivotal day in Washington regarding the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan, which is gaining momentum at the Congressional level. 

Ron Savage, who is active with the BIANJ, was chosen to be the Mid-Atlantic Regional Representative for the National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury Plan. This is great a great honor for the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, and a great step forward in raising awareness of Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury.
 

Washington Governor, Chris Gregoire, signed a law last Thursday which prohibits student athletes under the age of 18 who are suspected to have a concussion to return to play without a licensed health care provider’s approval. The law makes Washington the strictest state in the country when it comes to regulating high school athlete’s participation in school sports after a concussion has been suffered.

The law also requires that every school throughout the state of Washington work with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to develop a standard informational program designed to educated coaches, players and parents on the dangers of head injuries.  The law is named after Zackery Lystedt, a 16-year-old in Maple Valley, WAshington who suffered a life-threatening brain injury in 2006 after he returned to play football following a concussion.

 

New York's Public High School Athletic Association has recently begun tracking head injuries in female lacrosse players in order to determine whether or not helmets should be mandatory for all players. Though lacrosse, and several other high school level sports, are intended to be a “no-contact” sport, the facts are evident that injuries occur, and stricter preventative measures need to be implemented.

Some fear that implementing a mandatory helmet rule would make the sport in itself a more aggressive game. However, those who are in favor of implementing the rule, say they can protect your head, without changing the game. Doctors have stated in the past that helmets do not prevent concussions from occurring; however they do lessen the extent of injuries. 

U.S. Lacrosse, believes that research has been done showing there is no need to change the rules or equipment used in girls lacrosse. However, while U.S. Lacrosse finds there's no need to change the rules on a national level, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association could impose its own rule on helmets.

As I’ve stated in the past, the need for stricter preventative measures is evident. Children across the country are injured on a daily basis, and while the need for increased treatment of these injuries is important, it is even more important, and beneficial, to prevent these injuries before they even occur.

In response to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s nomination hearing of Joseph Szabo as the new administrator to lead the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the American Association for Justice (AAJ) calls on the agency to review Bush administration regulations that weaken safety protections for consumers injured in railroad accidents.

In the last three years of the Bush Administration, the FRA issued nine federal rules which include language that usurps more stringent state safety laws. For example, in 2007, the FRA issued a passenger safety equipment rule regarding the front-end strength of railroad cars.  In a rule that should have enhanced the safety of rail passengers, the agency inserted boilerplate preemption language that attempts to block lawsuits by injured consumers if the company meets the bare minimum federal safety requirements.  The proposed rule is currently stayed by the January 20, 2009 memo on non-final rules issued by the Obama administration.

You can read more on the AJA's initiative online here.

The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation announced a national demonstration against Apple and AT&T in 15 cities across the country beginning on May 3 in Boston and ending on May 17 in Seattle. This national demonstration coincides with their previously announced 15-city American PABI Heroes Tour which is the first national musical competition to raise awareness of #1 leading cause of death and disability for children/young adults in the U.S. - pediatric acquired brain injury (PABI) and to support the families. The foundation also announced today that recording artist Kristy Kay will be headlining the 15-city tour.

Apple vetted and launched a sick iPhone app called "BABY SHAKER". Upon learning of this application The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation asked for three things from Apple and AT&T: 1) removal of the application 2) a public apology by Apple to the families and victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome along with a complete accounting for how this happened and 3) the development of a plan to mitigate the damages it has caused. Apple has refused to publicly apologize to the families, provide a full accounting of what happened and take any actions to mitigate the damage it has caused prevention efforts across the country.

The first leg of the "American PABI Heroes Tour" spans 15 cities across the country, beginning in Boston on May 3 and ending in Seattle, Washington on May 17. The tour will culminate on June 5 with a Grand Finale event in New York City featuring the winner from each of the 15 cities.

Kristy Kay will be performing in all 15 cities along with serving as one of the celebrity judges. She will be joined in each city by other local celebrity judges who will be deciding which performer will win the local prize money and the right to compete in New York City on June 5th to become the American PABI Hero. Kristy Kay is a well-known recording artist and songwriter.

Band applications for those cities are being accepted online through the website www.pabitour.com and involve submitting a music video clip as a sample performance. The semi-finalists selected from the online submissions in each city will perform one song live during that city’s tour night. Many of the semi-finalists have already been selected.

In New York City, one of the selected semi-finalists who will be competing is popular singer Stephanie Rooker, whose CD "Tellin’ You Right Now" was released in early 2008. Rooker, whose younger brother died from a brain injury in 1997, is well known for her efforts in brain injury advocacy.

A PABI Hero is a musician or group of musicians who have either already been supportive of a family affected by PABI (Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury), or who have a desire to help these families.

PABI stands for Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury, which is a brain injury sustained in children and young adults from birth up to age 25. It is the number one cause of death and disability for children/young adults in the United States.

Causes of PABI include traumatic events like motor vehicle accidents, assaults/child abuse, falls, blast injuries from war, sports concussions, being struck by an object, gunshot wounds and bicycle accidents as well as non-traumatic causes such as strokes, brain tumors, poisoning, lack of oxygen, meningitis, ischemia, poisoning, epilepsy, pediatric AIDS and substance abuse.

Entrants who have already been sponsoring a particular family of a child or young adult with PABI can choose to match themselves with that family by providing the family’s details along with the entry form.

Bands or musicians who do not know of a PABI family but would like to enter can still do so, and the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation will match them with a PABI family to sponsor in their local area.

By entering, bands or musicians agree to host a fundraiser for their sponsored PABI family within one calendar year of the tour date for their city.

TicketWeb and TicketMaster have partnered with the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation to sell tickets in 12 of the 15 cities for the American PABI Heroes Tour live competitions. They are available for purchase in advance by going to www.ticketweb.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information on the American PABI Heroes Tour and for the official entry form, visit the website at www.pabitour.com.