52 Top Healthcare Institutions Work Together to Address Number One Cause of Death for Children
Children's Hospital Colorado named a National and State Lead Center
(June 5, 2009) Children's Hospital Colorado has been named the State Lead Center for Colorado as part of a national network of healthcare institutions to develop a system of care for children and young adults with brain injuries. The hospital was further designated as the National Lead Center for Transition to Adult Life after Pediatric Brain Injury, responsible for leading all other states in the U.S. in this field.
The 51 other institutions in conjunction with Children's Hospital Colorado will work together to address brain injury, which is the number one cause of death and disability for children and young adults in the United States.
“Because our brains are actively growing and changing from birth through the early 20’s, a brain injury in childhood or adolescence can have a widespread impact on all areas of development, affecting learning, school performance, behavior control, emotions and social skills,” said Jeanne Dise-Lewis, Ph.D., director of psychology programs in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Children's Hospital Colorado and associate professor with the University of Colorado Denver and Health Sciences Center, and national expert in pediatric-acquired brain injury.
“A brain injury is not like a broken bone that can get fixed and then forgotten about,” said Dise-Lewis. “Parents, teachers, and our community doctors and therapists need education, information and effective strategies to help children and teens to get back on track after pediatric brain injury so they can go on and live productive lives.”
In January of this year, over 60 of the top pediatric neurologists in the country came together in New York City and drafted the first-ever National Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury (PABI) Plan, which called for the development of a national system of collaboration to address the issue.
The Sarah Jane Brain Project (SJBP) held an open application period in March for children’s hospitals, research universities and other healthcare organizations to apply to be the State Lead Centers in their respective states to implement the National PABI Plan.
A selection committee of seven well-known brain scientists and rehabilitation experts across the country reviewed the applications and selected one institution in every state, plus one each in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as the institution most capable of being the State Lead Center for their state.
Children's Hospital Colorado’s selection as both a State and National Lead Center will be announced by the Sarah Jane Brain Project’s National Advisory Board, along with the other 51 State Lead Centers in Washington, D.C. on June 5.
As the State Lead Center , Children's Hospital Colorado will be responsible for developing the master plan of care for children/young adults with brain injuries in the entire state of Colorado .
“There are many crises and discontinuities in care for children who have acquired brain injury and their families. One period of crucial importance occurs when an older teen makes the leap into the adult world of vocational preparation, work and independent living away from home,” said Dise-Lewis. “In Colorado , we have a long history of collaboration which has resulted in some excellent programs and good outcomes for some people who have acquired brain injury. The problem is extreme variability in information, availability of services and programs, comprehensiveness of programs and knowledge.”
Designation as the National Lead Center for Adult Transition will allow Children's Hospital Colorado to identify and fill these gaps while weaving Colorado ’s programs of excellence in both pediatric and adult brain injury into a national model system of care.
“We are so honored to have Children's Hospital Colorado as part of this national network of the best healthcare institutions in the country,” stated SJBP founder Patrick Donohue.
He added, “It is shocking to realize that despite brain injury’s being the leading killer and disabler of our children, nothing has ever before been done to develop a nationally-standardized medical or even an educational plan to address it, and there is very little public awareness of pediatric brain injury.”
Donohue started the SJBP in October 2007 after his daughter Sarah Jane was shaken by her baby nurse, causing a severe brain injury.
The National PABI Plan is estimated to cost $125 million annually to implement across the country and will address each of the seven categories of care for each aspect of brain injury treatment – prevention, acute care, rehabilitation, adult transition, rural/telehealth, mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), and the virtual center.
The national announcement was made at a press conference on Capitol Hill at 11 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building , 4th Floor, Room 2345.
