Pediatric Brain Injuries: $1Billion per year

A new study published in this months journal Pediatrics reports that costs associated with the care of traumatic brain injuries suffered by children  exceed  $1 billion in hospital charges each year.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) in the Columbus Children's Research Institute at Columbus Children's Hospital in Ohio. They analyzed data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database, collected from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2000, from 2,784 hospitals in 27 states.

The analysis revealed an estimated 50,658 TBI-associated hospitalizations among children ages 17 and younger in that year, with 15- to 17-year-old patients having the highest hospitalization rates.

The costs include acute treatment, long-term rehabilitation and the loss of productivity for the parents.

While these numbers seem to be high, they aren't even close to the life time costs incurred as a result of these pediatric brain injuries.  If one was to consider the loss of income to the child as a result of their injury, the life time costs involved in care and support the numbers would be staggering. 

Maybe this report will open the eyes of the administration in Washington to the silent epidemic of brain injury and instead of attempting to reduce or eliminate necessary funding for the TBI Act, funding is actually increased.