Month: June 2017

Your Congressional Representatives need to hear your voice during this Independence Day break.

Call your Senators and House Member and tell them to protect health care services for all Americans.

Millions of individuals with brain injury rely on Medicaid for routine healthcare, rehabilitation, and long-term services and supports as provided through a Medicaid State Plan, a home and community-based (HCBS) waiver program, or both. The House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA), in combination with the Trump Administration’s Proposed Budget, present devastating cuts to this lifeline program, thereby shifting the burden of care to states and families that are already strained.

ACTION ALERT: Call Your Representatives Today!

• Senator Gillibrand: 202-224-4451 or www.gillibrand.senate.gov
• Senator Schumer: 202-224-6542 or www.schumer.senate.gov
• Find your Congress Member in the House of Representatives

Talking Points
VOTE NO on the Senate health care bill and VOTE NO to Medicaid per capita caps.

To protect access to care and long-term services and supports, lawmakers must:
•    Reject proposals to transform Medicaid to a per capita cap model
•    Protect incentives to provide home and community-based services over institutional care
•    Preserve essential health benefits, including rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, in Medicaid expansion plans
•    Maintain eligibility for schools as Medicaid providers
•    Fully fund the Medicaid Program

It is imperative that you call now, and then do it again tomorrow, and every day after that while this legislation is still active! The entire Disability Community is depending on you to make these calls and stop this legislation from moving forward.

ALBANY, NY: June 29, 2017 – Athletic trainer and passionate brain injury advocate Douglas Sawyer announced today that he will bike 3,600 miles to raise awareness and funds to support the Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS). Sawyer’s ride will commence in Portland, Ore. on July 9 and will conclude nearly four weeks later in Battery Park in New York, N.Y.

“I’ve been wanting to do something like this for years, but finally got the courage to go through with it,” said Sawyer.  “I have such a strong connection with the cause as I know several people that have suffered a traumatic brain injury and have not fully recovered.  It is hard seeing people go through the experience alone. My hope is that this ride will help raise awareness of brain injury and provide much needed financial support for BIANYS.”

Sawyer has been an athletic trainer for more than 20 years and has worked with countless athletes that have sustained concussions. He also serves as the newsletter chair and editor for the New York State Athletic Trainers’ Association, a partner organization to the Brain Injury Association of New York State.

“We are extremely grateful for Douglas’s commitment and dedication to raise awareness of brain injury,” said BIANYS Executive Director Eileen Reardon. “In addition to his athletic ability and his service to the brain injury community, Douglas’s passion and devotion to ride across the country to raise funds for our organization means so much to us.  We wish Douglas and his cycling partner Douglas Forsyth a successful trip and look forward to celebrating with him when he returns to New York.”

An estimated 5.2 million Americans currently live with disabilities resulting from brain injury. Every year, falls, assaults, strokes and other incidents result in brain injury for tens of thousands of New Yorkers.

For more information or to donate to BIANYS, visit www.bianys.org.  For live updates of Douglas Sawyer’s cross-country ride, like BIANYS on Facebook and follow BIANYS on Twitter and Instagram @BIAofNYS.

The Senate is planning to vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before leaving for the 4th of July, which gives us just a couple of weeks to stop them. All efforts right now are critical! If a bill passes the Senate, Republicans’ dangerous idea of health care reform and their efforts to decimate Medicaid will become a reality. 

The US Senate needs to hear from the Disability Community about the dangers of cutting $800 billion from Medicaid.

ACTION ALERT
We need YOU to call the Senate HELP Committee and Senate Finance Committee.

Call 202-224-5375 for the HELP
Call 202-224-4515 for the Finance Committee

Message
“My name is (your full name). I am disabled and I rely on Medicaid to live independently in my community. Legislation being considered by the Senate that would potentially cut $800 billion from Medicaid must be fully considered prior to being brought to the Senate floor.  I am calling to urge your committee to hold a hearing on this bill rather than allow it to move to the floor without a full review by the committee.

It is imperative that you call now, and then do it again tomorrow, and every day after that while this legislation is still active! The entire Disability Community is depending on you to make these calls and stop this legislation from moving forward.

Concussion Initiative Committee committed to bringing the best of their knowledge across multiple disciplines to create a model that can be replicated nationwide

ALBANY, NY: June 13, 2017 – The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) announced today a Concussion Initiative comprised of leading medical professionals in the various fields of concussion across New York State.  The announcement comes following the statement release of new guidelines, written by an international panel of concussion experts and recently published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The Concussion Initiative Advisory Committee was developed by the organization with an interdisciplinary approach to achieve the following goals: evaluate existing pertinent legislation, identify gaps, and advocate for stronger regulations to ensure successful outcomes; identify and implement protocols to ensure a successful Return to Life strategy for concussion survivors; and lastly to  implement a statewide educational standard for education and health professionals that can be used to serve all New Yorkers.

The committee, which is led by co-chairs Commissioner of Department of Mental Health for Westchester County Dr. Mark Herceg and Pediatric Psychologist Dr. Andrew Hess consists of 22 members.  The committee is comprised of professionals and specialists in the fields of concussion research, brain injury rehabilitation, community resources, education, athletics as well as state agencies. The committee also includes Dr. John Leddy, a professor of orthopedics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, and co-author of the new consensus document.

“We are excited to announce this initiative,” said Dr. Andrew Hess, BIANYS Board Member and Co-Chair for the Concussion Initiative. “This group of professionals has been working behind the scenes for nearly a year and our announcement of this is timely with the recent statement release following the 5^th International Conference on Concussion in Berlin.  The committee is committed to getting the word out about these guidelines and to put New York State on the forefront of what we hope will become a results-driven model focused on concussion prevention and management across all ages and stages of life.”

The efforts of the Concussion Initiative are supported by the recently released Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. The Statement provides insight into changes in best practices of concussion management, with highlights of the statement including:

• A focus on the use of symptom-limited activity versus full rest for those who sustain concussion
• Clear guidelines on establishing a return-to-school protocol and ensure that it is completed before return-to-play is considered with a focus on mental exertion as well as physical symptoms of concussion
• Rehabilitation, specifically the need for referrals to specialized programs if there is a slow or complicated recovery
• A strong statement on the importance of helmet use in skiing and snowboarding, as well as other sports

A complete list of committee members and their respective institutions can be found on the here.

For more information on BIANYS, please visit www.bianys.org.

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