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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Friday, October 19, 2007 |
CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 |
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DENVER, CO – United States Senator Ken Salazar is working to ensure the Nation has a top-notch traumatic brain injury system to share data, rehabilitation techniques and programs across the country through the Nationwide Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems of Care (TBIMSC) program. The Senator is also working to ensure the continued central role of Englewood, Colorado’s Craig Hospital in the TBIMSC program. Senator Salazar sponsored an amendment that will be included in the Labor HHS Appropriations Act to increase funding for the TBIMSC program by $900,000, which would prevent the closure of 2 of the 16 TBIMSC research centers in the country. At the current funding level of $7.5 million, the program will have to eliminate funding for two of its centers. The amendment is co-sponsored by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Evan Bayh (D-IN). “Our Nation’s medical professionals are the best in the world. Across the country different healthcare and research facilities are developing new and innovative techniques to rehabilitate traumatic brain injury victims,” said Senator Salazar. “In Colorado, we are blessed to have the hub of the nation-wide system that shares new developments and data on traumatic brain injuries and care. Ensuring that the system stays intact is a must so that no matter where a person is injured, they will receive the most up-to-date care possible.” Background: The TBIMSC program funds research at 16 centers across the country, including Craig Hospital in Denver, on how certain models for TBI treatment affect long-term outcomes. For the past two decades TBIMSC has served as a national proving ground for the development of essential relationships, expertise, national infrastructure, and service capacity in the field of TBI research and treatment. The network of research centers allows for the monitoring of a large number of patients in a national database, in order to allow for long-term, longitudinal studies of various treatment outcome questions. Craig Hospital is the National Database and Statistical Center (NDSC) for the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems 2006-2011. This means that Craig Hospital serves as the central facility for the 16 TBIMSC programs around the country, providing technical assistance, training, and methodological consultation to them as they collect and analyze longitudinal data from people with TBI in their communities. Craig Hospital uses this data from the 16 centers to conduct research toward evidence-based TBI rehabilitation interventions. Although the cuts to TBIMSC program will not have a direct impact on Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, additional funding for the program will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the program.
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