From My Desk

Greetings,

As I’m writing this letter, the Brain Injury Association of America and our advocates are mobilizing to protect funding for federal brain injury programs. A document with proposed budget priorities for the Department of Health and Human Services, which plays a central role in delivering programs, research, and services that support the brain injury community, reflects devastating cuts to key brain injury and disability programs. Among the casualties would be all traumatic brain injury (TBI) initiatives under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the HEADS UP Concussion Education and Prevention Program, the Core State Injury Prevention Program, and the National Concussion Surveillance System.

In addition, the proposal calls for the dissolution of the Administration for Community Living, with its programs reassigned across HHS. Most concerning is the complete elimination of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, the federal government’s primary engine for rehabilitation science, innovation, and independent living research. This includes the elimination of all 16 TBI Model Systems, which serve as national centers of excellence for rehabilitation and long-term outcome tracking.

Right now, the document is only a proposal. BIAA is pushing for a meeting with HHS Secretary Kennedy with the goal of preserving these programs, and working with our allies on Capitol Hill, including the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, to secure bipartisan support for brain injury programs.

The theme of this issue is Brain Injury at Every Age, and these brain injury programs support, protect, and benefit people of all ages – not only those who are currently living with brain injury, but those who may sustain one in the future. HEADS UP is a cornerstone of concussion education. Eliminating this program would strip thousands of communities of the only national concussion guidance for youth. The National Concussion Surveillance System is the only ongoing federal system tracking the incidence of concussion and brain injury across age groups, and guides policy, research, clinical protocols, and local resource allocation. The TBI Model Systems are conducting the nation’s only long-term studies on moderate to severe TBI outcomes, providing us with critical recovery metrics and insights into the chronic nature of brain injury.

Brain injury doesn’t always have an end date. Some people live with lingering effects for years, if not the rest of their lives. We know this news is deeply concerning, but please be assured: we are mobilizing the full power of BIAA’s advocacy network to educate congressional leaders, fight for the programs that support brain injury through every stage of life, and preserve the federal commitment to brain injury care and recovery.

Sincerely,

Rick Willis