Upcoming Events:
Optimizing Care for Veterans with Prosthetics
House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs: Subcommittee on Health
334 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC
May 16, 2012 – 10:00am
Next Meeting:
Special Events:
Congressional Briefing: “The Importance of Rehabilitation in America’s Healthcare System”
On Thursday, June 23, the ITEM Coalition organized, with the help of the House Bipartisan Disability Caucus, a standing room only congressional briefing that highlighted for policymakers the value of rehabilitation services and devices for people who sustain injuries, have disabilities or chronic conditions.
The featured speaker was Dr. Gerard Francisco, the Chief Medical Officer at TIRR Memorial Hermann and the Chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Brian Injury Fellowship Director at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Francisco is the attending rehabilitation physician for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He relayed a number of stories on the impact of rehabilitative and habilitative services on the health, functional status and ability of Americans with brain injuries and their ability to recover from trauma and live independently in their homes and communities.
Paul Tobin, the President and CEO of United Spinal Association and a U.S. Navy veteran, spoke to attendees about the importance of access to rehabilitation and assistive technology for veterans and the larger disability community. Tobin elaborated on the number of soldiers returning from war with complicated and long term assistive technology needs, and the cost-effectiveness of providing access to these devices in a timely and consistent fashion.
Dr. Jeanne Wilcox, a Professor of Speech and Hearing Science and Director and Founder of the Infant Child Research Programs at Arizona State University, spoke to the importance of habilitation services for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Dr. Wilcox distinguished between the need of a person that has sustained an injury to access rehabilitation and the individual that needs to attain function in order to become more independent. Dr. Wilcox also emphasized the need for early intervention as a way to improve outcomes and reduce long-term costs.
Congressman Jim Langevin, Co-Chair of the House Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, gave closing remarks for the briefing, and his Health Legislative Assistant, Todd Adams, was present for the briefing in its entirety. At least 70 people attended the briefing and at least two dozen Congress members and a number of committees were represented by staff. Press was also covering the event, with cameras from ABC and Arizona State University present, as well as writers from Hill publications, including Politico, which ran two stories on the event.
