MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY TO HOST COINCIDING NEUROTRAUMA SEMINAR FOR LOCALS NURSES, PHYSICIANS, EMS PERSONNEL, THERAPISTS AND OTHERS
PATERSON—U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) the co-founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force today joined with leading military and health experts, a military Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) survivor and the family member of an Army Ranger who survived a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to announce that St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson will host the 2008 International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury from October 12 through the 15th of this year.
The mission of this International Conference will be to create a consensus statement developed by international expert scientists and practitioners that can be presented to the United States Congress. The report will specifically outline what the federal government needs to do, both in action and in dollars, to address the needs of the thousands of wounded warriors who are affected by TBI and PTSD.
It is estimated that more than 1 in 3 members of America’s armed forces serving in Iraq seek mental health treatment. It is also estimated that approximately 15% return home with some type of traumatic brain injury. The persistent effects of post concussion syndrome from blast injuries and related post traumatic stress disorder have resulted in a significant public health issue and a silent epidemic for which the Conference will seek to take responsibility.
Over 8,000 New Jersey residents have served overseas in the military since 2001. An additional 4,000 Army and Air National Guard members that make up about half of New Jersey’s National Guard, are preparing to deploy to Iraq this summer.
“With 4,000 of New Jersey’s bravest National Guard members preparing to go to Iraq for the largest deployment from our state since World War II, it is fitting that this landmark conference be held here in the Garden State,” stated Pascrell. “St. Joe’s vast technological capabilities and neurological expertise makes it a worthy venue for this international event, and will ensure that our work is demonstrated far beyond Paterson’s boundaries. I am excited for this unique opportunity to work with leading military health officials and experts from all around the world to mitigate the occurrence and severity of future head injuries and psychological trauma. TBI holds the dubious distinction as the ‘signature injury’ of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because of the incredibly severe toll it has taken on our military men and women. This conference will serve as the foundation for which Congress will build new services and care for America’s wounded warriors.”
“Currently, we have young vets who are not receiving the medical services they need,” stated Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, PhD., Planning Committee Director and Immediate Past Board Member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology. “This is a tragic public health problem. These vets may not receive necessary evaluation and treatment for many different reasons and we need to address those reasons. Without proper treatment and services, these dedicated wounded warriors are at risk for unemployment, substance abuse, and homelessness that can lead to incarceration, hospitalization, and further health disasters. We cannot abandon them. Importantly, families and communities are affected: spouses, children, parents, neighbors, and co-workers.”
The Conference is designed to build on the momentous results of a similar event held three years ago in Johnstown, Pennsylvania which produced a document referred to as the Conemaugh Report. The Conemaugh Report outlined the prominence of TBI in America and requested specific action from Congress. Perhaps most importantly though, the Conemaugh report equipped members of Congress, notably those who serve as members of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, with a credible resource to further advocate for TBI funding.
The Conemaugh Report helped guide Congress through to the completion of a series of historic accomplishments for TBI survivors and their families, including the landmark creation of the Defense Department’s Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Brigadier General Loree Sutton, the National Director of DCoE is among the experts who will attend October’s Conference.
The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), which has served as the foremost authority for military traumatic brain injury research and care since 1992 will also be represented at the Conference by its co-founder Dr. George Zitnay and its Director, Colonel Michael Jafee, MD. DVBIC, which is a collaborative effort between the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) serves as a multi-site medical care, clinical research and education center. DVBIC has recently been made a component of the DCoE.
The list of international neurologists and neuropsychologists invited to attend the Conference includes Dr. Andrew Maas of the Netherlands, Dr. Lucia Braga of Brazil, Dr. Anne Lise Christensen of Denmark, Dr. Claudio Perino of Italy and Dr. Jose-Leon Carrion of Spain. Internationally renowned Pathophysiologist Alan Hovda of UCLA has also been invited to participate.
In addition to the International Conference at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Montclair State University will host a one-day neurotrauma seminar on Monday October 13th. The seminar is designed for EMS personnel, nurses, physicians, therapists and others involved with the treatment of trauma patients and for those interested in current research to access the wealth of experts visiting New Jersey for the Conference.
Title sponsors of the conference include: The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, and The International Brain Research Foundation, Edison, NJ.
Conference Sponsors include: The Henry H. Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ; and The Missouri Rehabilitation Center.
Supporting Sponsors include: Rehabilitation Specialists, Fair Lawn, NJ; The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, North Brunswick, NJ; Pathology Associates of Delaware Valley of Lawrenceville, NJ; RSM Psychology of Lawrenceville, NJ; The National Academy of Neuropsychology, Denver, CO; Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc., Lutz, FL and The American Psychological Association Division 40.
The Conference findings will be published in a special journal issue of The Clinical Neuropsychologist in 2009 entitled, “Proceedings and Special Topics of the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.”
