The Brain Injury Association of Florida, Inc.(BIAF) is developing an awareness campaign to educate Florida residents about the realities of brain injuries, after Governor Crist proclaimed March as Brain Injury Awareness Month. The BIAF is being helped in its efforts by ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff, who has recently gone public with his experience dealing with a traumatic brain injury. With Woodruff’s coverage and Governor Crist’s support, the BIAF hopes to raise funding and increase awareness about brain injuries.
The BIAF hopes its campaign will raise much-needed money for injured soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injury while on active duty. The organization also hopes that increased awareness will help families and victims cope with injury more effectively. Currently, the BIAF website and members provide support and information, but the association hopes that this high-profile campaign will prove even more effective.
The BIAF is proud of the fact that Florida has one of the biggest and best-funded associations for brain injury awareness and support in the country. The state is able to provide a number of excellent care options for victims, including cognitive therapy. Unfortunately, according to the BIAF, there are still far too many patients not getting the care they need. Also, as both the BIAF and as Florida attorneys know, there still seem to be far too many brain injuries occurring, in car accidents, workplace accidents, and in other situations. Many of these injuries seem to be preventable.
The BIAF hopes that the new campaign will warn people to be more careful and will show them that brains are things that must be cared for. The BIAF has been working with Florida’s Brain and Spinal Cord Injury program to offer counselling, programs, resources therapy and other types of support for brain injury survivors and their families. The BIAF hopes that more people will become aware of these programs and will make use of them during the month of March and beyond.
Currently, there are over 30 support groups for brain injury victims and their families across Florida. Families can call the BIAF to learn about programs and resources in their area. If a brain injury is recent, victims and their families may also wish to contact an attorney in order to find out about legal options. If you or a loved one have suffered a brain injury, call 1- 800-535-2962 (1 800 5 FLAXMAN) for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about your options.