On March 14, Governor Chafee, along with Congressman Cicilline and Congressman Langevin, welcomed Sarah Jane Donohue and her father, Patrick Donohue, Esq. to Rhode Island to tell their story about pediatric brain injury. Mr. Donahue talked openly about the tragic pediatric acquired brain injury his daughter Sarah Jane suffered after she was shaken by her baby nurse when she was just five days old. Along with Dr. Carole Jenny and Dr. Victor Pedro, Patrick and Sarah conveyed a message of hope in raising awareness about the leading cause of death and disability for young people in America.
Each year, over 765,000 new brain injuries occur, with 80,000 hospitalizations and over 11,000 deaths. Representatives Langevin and Cicilline are co-sponsoring federal legislation, HR 2600, which would allocate $2.9 billion to prevent and treat brain injuries in American young people. If passed, the legislation will bring more than $32 million to Rhode Island to research and track treatments for brain injuries.
“The $32 million in funding that would come to Rhode Island as a result of this legislation will fuel the exciting and important work already being done in one of the most promising sectors of our economy: the ‘meds and eds,’” said Governor Chafee. “One of our premier economic assets is our abundance of world-class hospitals, such as Hasbro Children’s Hospital, which has been designated the Lead State Center for the National Acquired Brain Injury Plan.”
