Letter to the Editor: Pennsylvania Must Do More to Help Those Who Are Living With Brain Injuries, RCPA Member Acadia NeuroRehab Highlighted
TBI
WHYY: Doctors Still Struggle to Predict Which Patients With Severe Brain Injuries Will Recover
BIAA National Survey Finds Public Misconceptions About TBI Continue & Need for Education
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) recently released the results and highlights from their first public opinion survey in over 25 years.
Some of the key findings from the results of the survey include:
- Brain injury affects nearly 4 in 10 people, but fewer than 1 in 4 are asked about brain injury by healthcare providers.
- While most adults claim to be familiar with concussions, their knowledge about brain injury is mixed.
- Brain injury is seen by most people as a chronic health condition but not as an invisible or hidden disability.
- More than 8 in 10 (81%) adults in the U.S. do not recognize concussions as traumatic brain injuries.
The Harris Poll conducted the online survey on behalf of the Brain Injury Association of America February 4 – 6, 2025, and polled nearly 2,100 U.S. adults to measure public opinions about and familiarity with brain injuries.
After 13 Years of Neglect, It’s Time to Solve Pennsylvania’s Brain Injury Funding Crisis | Opinion by RCPA President/CEO Richard Edley
TBI Service Providers Look for Increase in Funds for First Time in 13 Years: Richard Edley, President/CEO of RCPA, Quoted, and RCPA Member Acadia NeuroRehab Featured
The Center Square: Brain Injury Assistance Needs More Awareness, Funding
Human Services Committee to Hold Second Info Meeting on Treatment & Support for TBI
Tomorrow, February 5, the House Human Services Committee will hold a second informational meeting on the treatment and support for Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). The meeting will be held at 9:00 am in Room G-50 in the Irvis Office Building of the Capitol.
The hearing will include testimony to be provided by the PA Department of Health, NeuroRestorative, Woods Services, Penn State Health, and Penn State College of Medicine. Following the testimony from the panelists, they will receive questions from the members of the Committees.
The meeting will be livestreamed, which can be accessed from the Human Services website here.
Urgent Request for BI Information From Legislative Leadership
As was shared in the RCPA Alert sent on Tuesday, January 28, the House Human Services and Insurance Committees held a joint informational meeting on January 29 on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Care Needs and Coverage Options, where testimony was provided by RCPA, OLTL, Success Rehabilitation, BIAPA, and insurers.
Following the hearing, leadership from the House Human Services Committee has requested additional information from BI providers. Please review the questions below and provide responses to Melissa Dehoff by close of business Monday, February 3.
- Is your organization accredited by CARF as a Brain Injury Residential Rehabilitation Program (Adult) or Community Housing?
- Do you provide other non-residential services through the waiver? If so, please list them.
The important message to share is that we have the legislators’ attention! Things are moving very quickly; there are many meetings, calls, and ongoing communications with leadership in the legislature as we enter the key phase of budget negotiations.
It is critical that we have full participation in providing this information from every single BI provider/program. If we do not provide responses from 100% of our BI members, it could have an impact on funds being allocated to us in the budget.
Please contact Melissa Dehoff with questions and your responses.
Human Services & Insurance Committees to Hold Joint Informational Meeting on TBI
Tomorrow, January 29, the House Human Services and Insurance Committees will hold a joint informational meeting on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Care Needs and Coverage Options. The meeting is scheduled at 9:00 am in Room G-50 in the Irvis Office Building of the Capitol.
The hearing will include three separate panels that will include testimony to be provided by:
- Richard Edley, President & CEO, RCPA;
- Joanne Tangney, President & CEO, Success Rehabilitation;
- Juliet Marsala, Deputy Secretary, Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL);
- Drew Nagele, Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania (BIAPA);
- Tim Law, Chief Medical Officer, Highmark; and
- Jonathan Greer, President, Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania.
Following the testimonies from the panelists, they will receive questions from the members of the Committees.
The meeting will be livestreamed, which can be accessed from the Human Services website here.
For additional information, please view the agenda here.
BIAA Event to Focus on Brain Injury as a Chronic Health Condition
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) will be conducting an event via Zoom that will focus on the recent announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that formally designated brain injury as a chronic health condition. The session, “CMS Chronic Condition Designation — What it Means for You,” will be held on September 24, 2024, at 12:00 pm.
Panelists for this event include:
- Denver Supinger, BIAA’s Director of Advocacy and Government Relations;
- Karen Kimsey, former Director of the Department of Medical Assistance Services;
- Paul Bosworth, brain injury survivor and member of BIAA’s Brain Injury Survivors Council; and
- Darcy Keith, brain injury survivor and member of BIAA’s Brain Injury Survivors Council.
To participate in the event, please register here.
Prev