Relates to the offices and departments that the department of health shall consult with for the traumatic brain injury program

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Republican3

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Michelle Hinchey says this is needed

New York State DOH has a statutory obligation to provide supports and services to traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients under Public Health taw article 27-CC. In practice, this includes administering the "TBI Waiver" program that provides specialized services to TBI patients through Medicaid, as well as performing outreach and education about TBI and developing service coordination and other supports for TBI patients and their families. The Department is guided in this mission by the TBISCC, a statewide council established for purposes of advising the department with policy priorities and recommendations including an annual report, The TBISCC is made up of representatives from relevant agencies such as DOH, the Office of Mental Hygiene, and the Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities, as well as other agencies, outside medical experts, and individuals with TBI and their families. Since it's enactment, the TBISCC has periodically had its mandate and membership updated to reflect best practices and expand its responsive- ness to the needs of New Yorkers. According to the Brain Injury Associ- ation of America, domestic violence is a tragically common cause for TBI in women, children, and other groups that has been significantly over- looked, Approximately 36% of domestic violence survivors have sustained injuries to the head, neck, or face, and women who seek medical atten- tion for such injuries are 7.5 times more likely to be domestic violence victims compared to women seeking care for other injuries. Combat injury is also a substantial cause of TBI. According to a survey by the National Institutes of. Health, nearly 4% of all patients seen at Veterans Affairs health clinics in New York and New Jersey from 2000 to 2019 received a TBI-related diagnostic code. Data on the human toll is clear and staggering: A study in Military Psychology showed that veter- ans with a combat-related TBI were four times more likely to attempt suicide than those without, and a separate survey in the Journal of the A rnerican Medical Association Neurology similarly showed suicide rates for veterans with TBI at twice the level for veterans generally and 4.5 times the level of the general population. For New York to have a comprehensive TBI program, it is imperative that DOH and the TBISCC work with partners representing the most affected communities. For this reason, various other agencies representing persons with mental health needs, addiction struggles, or developmental disabilities have been included in both DOH's T81 mandate and the membership of the TBISCC. This bill builds on these processes by adding OPDV and DVS to both sections of law in order to ensure that the voices of domestic violence survivors and veterans are heard as part of this ongoing work.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.