39th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team Reintegration Meetings
The 39th IBCT has returned to Arkansas.
Reintegration of veterans from Operation Iraqi
Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) will begin in January.
The 30-day meetings (approximately 30 days after the veterans return
to Arkansas) will be on January 10th and January 24th.
The meetings will occur in four different cities in
Arkansas on both dates. We need
volunteers to cover these meetings and the 60-day meetings that will
occur on most Saturdays in February and March.
For 30-day
meetings, we need someone there beginning about 8:30 am until
mid-afternoon.
30-day meetings will be
held on Saturday, January 10th in North Little Rock,
Searcy, Russellville and Hope.
30-day meetings will be held on
Saturday, January 24th in Forrest City, Fort Smith,
Monticello and Magnolia.
For 60-day
meetings, we need someone there beginning about 10:00 am until about
2:00 pm.
60 day meetings will be
held on Saturday, February 7th in Little Rock, North
Little Rock and Hot Springs.
60 day meetings will be held on
Saturday, February 21st in Little Rock, North Little Rock
and Hot Springs.
60 day meetings will be held on
Saturday, February 28th in Little Rock, Fort Smith and
Hot Springs.
60 day meetings will be held on
Saturday, March 7th in Little Rock, Fort Smith and Pine
Bluff.
60 day meetings will be held on
Saturday, March 14th in Rogers.
60 day meetings will be held on
Saturday, March 21st in Little Rock and Pine Bluff
60 day meetings will be held on
Saturday, March 28th in Little Rock and North Little
Rock.
If you can
assist by being at one or more meetings to hand out our literature,
please give us a call at 501-374-3585 (Little Rock) or toll-free
1-800-235-2443 or send an email to
info@BrainAssociation.org
The Brain Injury Association of Arkansas
requests community nominations for the following awards to be
presented at the 2nd Annual BIA-AR Awards Luncheon. The
luncheon is part of Brain Injury Awareness Month in Arkansas. The
luncheon will be in early March.
Advocacy Excellence
Public Awareness
Workplace Excellence
Community Event
Public Policy
Other (Suggest a Category)
Education Practices
Sports Injury Prevention
Injury Prevention
Training, Education & Research
If you would like to submit an
organization for an award, send the name of the organization and the
basis for their nomination along with your contact information to
our Post Office Box or by email. The
information can also be submitted using our
online form
New prevalence estimates from the
CDC released
The following press release has been issued by Susan
Connors, CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America commenting
on newly released data on the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI)
in the United States.
The number of civilians in the United
States living with a long-term disability from traumatic brain
injury (TBI) is now estimated to be 3.17 million, according to a new
article published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (Vol.
23, No. 6, pp. 394-400). The new prevalence estimate reflects the
use of updated methodology and is not indicative of a reduction in
the annual incidence of TBI, which remains at 1.4 million civilians
in the U.S The estimate is based on the results of statistical
modeling and analysis of TBI hospitalization data from three states
(Maryland, Vermont and New Jersey) in 2005 and does not include
persons with TBI who were treated and released from the emergency
department or other healthcare setting and those who did not seek
treatment.
The Brain Injury
Association of America (BIAA) applauds the CDC for funding this
important research and urges swift and widespread use of the new
prevalence estimate in the field of brain injury. The Brain Injury
Association of America reminds advocates, clinicians, researchers,
policymakers and the public that the 3.17 million people living in
the U.S. with a long-term disability are unique individuals whose
lives are forever changed by their injuries and who need and deserve
ongoing specialized rehabilitation, lifelong neurological disease
management and individualized services and supports in order to
maximize their health, independence and happiness.
As these numbers indicate, traumatic
brain injury is a public health crisis which requires the attention
of all to improve the quality of life of persons with a brain injury
and their family. It requires immediate attention regarding brain
injury rehabilitation including adequate funding, in depth studies
to determine best practices and a commitment to always remember that
a person with a brain injury is a person first and should receive
care and treatment in the least restrictive environment possible.
This week, the Institute of Medicine
(IOM) produced a new report, "Gulf War
and Health, Volume 7: Long-Term Consequences of Traumatic Brain
Injury."
Here's a sample article from our Newsletter,The Messenger
Life Care Planning for
Families with Special Needs
By Harry L. Ehrenberg, Jr.
Special Needs Planning Task Force, Ehrenberg
Financial, Inc.
It was about 2:00 a.m. on Friday morning, my second
sleepless night and I am sitting in the kitchen
distraught, angry and overwhelmed…such a sweet,
loving young boy, my son…we had another heartwrenching talk; he is frustrated and upset, he
can’t focus, can’t learn like the others his age, gets angryand has trouble making friends. Life is a daily
challenge for our family. I won’t be around forever, whois going to take care of him when I cannot?
Sound familiar? Twenty years ago, I was in that same
position. I am also a parent of a child withdisabilities and even though my son is an adult,
I constantly worry about him. I have dedicated thesepast 20 years to helping families on the
specific issue of life care planning for their children withdisabilities:
What will happen to my child if I
become disabled or when I die?
How can I leave an inheritance to
my child without disqualifying them from government
benefits?
The Special Needs Planning Task Force was born from
the culmination of my years of experience.
Dedicated to helping parents and family members of
children with disabilities ensure the life-long care
of their loved ones, the task force consists of
financial advisors, attorneys, and trust officers uniquelyarmed with the professional expertise and
knowledge of the challenges and difficulties that families ofchildren with special needs face, such as:
Understanding how different
government benefits coordinate and offset each other
Leaving an inheritance to their
child without disqualifying them from government benefits by
establishing a Special Needs Trust.
Adequately funding the Trust.
Understanding the risks and
consequences of directing the child’s inheritance to a sibling or
other family member.
Providing financially for the
successor caregiver and their family.
Life care Planning Guide (written
instructions of what you want for your child and your child’s
history).
Overcoming the emotional hurdle of
planning your child’s future.
…AND we are confident we can help families
regardless of their financial resources.
You love your family… and we want to help you keep
them safe and secure and preserve a
comfortable quality of life. Call us at
501-663-6321 and ask for Harry. I look forward to getting to knowyou!
The 39th IBCT has returned to Arkansas.
Reintegration of veterans from