OSU leads Ohio effort to combat brain injury

By Misti Crane

The Columbus Dispatch Sunday October 27, 2013 6:36 AM

Never before has brain injury been given more attention.

Troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with lingering problems. This summer, a $765 million settlement was reached between the NFL and former players over brain injuries. And youth sports programs nationwide and in Ohio are on notice to keep kids out of the game when theyve suffered a concussion.

Advocates for better prevention of brain injuries and care for those whove been hurt hope that a recent change in Ohio, coupled with the overall momentum, will improve the outlook here.

Ohio State University now is at the helm of the Ohio Brain Injury Advisory Committee, a group that for more than two decades has worked toward better prevention, treatment and diagnosis.

The university and its resources could bolster those efforts and perhaps secure more money to make improvements in Ohio, said Stephanie Ramsey, who is chairwoman-elect of the committee and president of the board of trustees for the Brain Injury Association of Ohio.

The states Opportunities for Ohioans With Disabilities department (formerly the Rehabilitation Services Commission) previously oversaw the committee.

The group receives about $125,000 a year in state money to operate, said John D. Corrigan, the director of Ohio States Division of Rehabilitation Psychology. Plans are to apply for more grant money.

Corrigan said the brain-injury expertise at Ohio State will help build on work by the committee, which met on Thursday to start planning for the future. One area of focus will be improving data so that the committee will have a better grasp on the injuries that occur in the state and what is happening to people in the years and decades after diagnosis, Corrigan said. He said he also would like to focus on sports concussions, including evaluating how a recent Ohio law aimed at reducing harm from concussions is playing out.

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OSU leads Ohio effort to combat brain injury