Mr. PLATTS. I appreciate the distinguished gentleman from Missouri yielding to me. I am honored to join with the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch), as well as my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), in speaking in favor of this resolution to express the important need for increased public awareness of traumatic brain injury, and to designate March as National Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month.
For the past 4 years, I have been honored to cochair the Congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force with my good friend, Representative Pascrell from New Jersey. While it's been a pleasure to work with Bill for the last 4 years, I especially want to highlight his great leadership long before I joined the task force--for many years--leading the cause and helping to raise awareness about this important issue.
Together, we have worked to increase awareness of TBI, which many people do not realize is the leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults in the United States.
Mr. Speaker, this year alone, over 1.4 million people will sustain a traumatic brain injury. Sadly, at least 80,000 of these individuals will remain permanently disabled from the trauma.
Falls, motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, and violence are among the major causes of TBI, leaving every individual susceptible. Additionally, TBIs can manifest themselves in various ways, from small behavioral changes to more tragic injuries, including complete physical disability and death.
Brain injuries affect the whole family emotionally and financially, often resulting in huge medical and rehabilitation expenses. The recent tragic death of Natasha Richardson amplifies the importance of bringing awareness to this critical issue. Because Ms. Richardson appeared to be unaffected immediately after a skiing accident in which she hit her head, she did not receive medical treatment. Unfortunately, only hours later, after experiencing a severe headache, she was admitted to the hospital, lapsed into a coma and, tragically, died. Tragedies such as these happen every day and can often be prevented.
TBI has also been named the ``signature wound'' of the war in Iraq, with approximately more than 20 percent of our deployed men and women returning with this injury. Thanks to the state-of-the-art body armor with which our men and women overseas are equipped, they are able to survive violent attacks while still receiving a blunt force to the head.
Fortunately, in recent years, Congress and the administration have worked together to provide increased funding for military TBI screening and treatment programs. However, more still needs to be done.
Mr. Speaker, because all of our fellow citizens have families, friends, and neighbors who could fall victim to TBI at any time, I strongly urge support from all of our colleagues for this resolution here today, and urge a ``yes'' vote.
