HR 33

                                                                       *HR1529*
                                                  Introduced Version
                    HOUSE
               RESOLUTION No. ___
      Introduced by: Errington, Andrade, Aylesworth, Bartlett,
    Bascom, Bauer M, Novak, Cash, Criswell, Dant Chesser,
    Garcia Wilburn, GiaQuinta, Gore, Goss-Reaves, Haggard,
    Harris, Heaton, Isa, Jackson C, Johnson B, Klinker, Moseley,
    Olthoff, Pack, Pfaff, Pierce M, Porter, Pryor, Rowray,
    Shackleford, Smith V, Summers, Wesco, Yocum
                  ____________________________________
1A HOUSE RESOLUTION recognizing March 2026 as
2    Brain Injury Awareness Month in Indiana.
3Whereas, Every nine seconds, someone in the United States
4    sustains an acquired brain injury, traumatic or nontraumatic,
5    from a fall, stroke, accident, infection, lack of oxygen, sports
6    activities, or military service;
7Whereas, At least 64 million adults report having
8    experienced one or more traumatic brain injuries in their
9    lifetime;
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1      Whereas, Over 11 million Americans over the age of 40 who
2    have experienced a traumatic brain injury with loss of
3    consciousness are living with a disability;
4Whereas, Brain injury and head trauma have been linked to
5    the development of neurodegenerative disease and other
6    conditions including but not limited to Parkinson's disease,
7    ischemic stroke, Alzheimer's disease, chronic traumatic
8    encephalopathy, and depression;
9Whereas, Estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and
10    Prevention and the recently updated and analyzed Indiana
11    census suggest there are approximately 1.6 million individuals
12    who have experienced a brain injury from trauma or stroke in
13    the state, and that nearly 300,000 Hoosiers are disabled as a
14    result of those events;
15Whereas, The Indiana Department of Health reported that
16    traumatic brain injury contributes to 30 percent of all
17    injury-related deaths in the state, and that 6,726 Hoosiers
18    experienced traumatic brain injury-related hospitalization in
19    2016, 58 percent of whom resided within rural counties;
20Whereas, Many brain injuries go unreported and untreated
21    because of a lack of education and awareness and a lack of
22    recognition of the effects of brain injury on survivors and
23    families;
24Whereas, Brain injury survivors and their families can
25    struggle to identify and secure proper medical treatment,
26    services, and care, despite the often lifelong effects of brain
27    injuries; and
28Whereas, The Brain Injury Association of Indiana works to
29    reduce the incidence and impact of brain injury through
30    education, advocacy, support, and prevention, and by
31    facilitating interagency commitment and collaboration that
32    flows from greater public understanding of brain injuries:
33    Therefore,
34Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the
35General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
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1SECTION 1. That the Indiana House of Representatives
2    recognizes March 2026 as Brain Injury Awareness Month in
3    Indiana to support brain injury survivors and their families,
4    increase the public's awareness of the prevalence of brain injury
5    in the state and nationally, and recognize the importance of
6    prevention and treatment of brain injuries.
7SECTION 2. That the Principal Clerk of the House of
8    Representatives shall transmit copies of this resolution to State
9    Representative Sue Errington for distribution.
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