Tramautic Brain Injuries: Worth Funding?
 |
Mark J. Pelavin is the Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He is one of the Jewish community's leading legislative strategists, and one of its senior lobbyists. |
I received a very powerful press release from our colleagues at the Jewish War Veterans of the United States today. Their statement headlined “JWV Deplores Potential Budget Cuts for Treatment of War-Related Brain Injuries,” notes that the 2007 Defense Appropriations bill actually reduced funding for research and treatment of brain injuries. Brain injuries are one of the most significant causes of injury and death in American today; each year nearly 1.5 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury, and 50,000 of those die from their injuries.
Here at the RAC, we are very much aware of the issue. Not only did our friend, colleague, and Former RAC Associate Director Rabbi Lynne Landsberg suffer a traumatic brain injury; she has had a remarkable recovery. Remarkable enough that she now works on works as Senior Volunteer Advisor to the RAC and the Union for Reform Judaism’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns on disability rights issues.
More information about traumatic brains injuries is available from, among other sites, the Brain Injury Association of America. I also highly recommend Lynne’s article about her own inspiring recovery which was published in the Summer 2004 issue of Reform Judaism magazine.