Assembly Resolution No. 931

BY: M. of A. Stirpe

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
March 2024, as Brain Injury Awareness Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in calling
attention to serious medical conditions which affect thousands of New
Yorkers; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 2024, as Brain Injury Awareness
Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of
National Brain Injury Awareness Month; and

WHEREAS, Social Brain Organization was developed and launched in
January of 2019, for brain injury survivors and families to have a
community to come together; and

WHEREAS, Social Brain Organization has relieved these survivors and
their families of this burden by creating a community to bring them
together; through monthly and weekly meetups, both in person and
virtually, a brain injury survivor can find a friend, listen to music,
participate with local college students, enjoy a picnic on a nice day,
and be with others who understand their similarities; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic this vital
organization created a medical supply closet to provide the local
community with basic items of necessity; and

WHEREAS, By educating, training, advocating, and supporting people
with brain injury, Social Brain Organization ensures that no individual
has to face brain injury alone; and

WHEREAS, In New York State, more than 500 people sustain a brain
injury every day and it is estimated that brain injuries occur 50% more
often and are not reported; and

WHEREAS, Each year, an estimated 2,200 New York residents die from a
traumatic brain injury and another 19,000 are hospitalized; and

WHEREAS, A brain injury is an injury to the brain that occurs after
birth and is not congenital, degenerative, or hereditary; examples
include stroke, exposure to toxic substances, oxygen deprivation,
infectious disease, trauma from motor vehicle and other high-velocity
accidents and even concussions resulting from mild trauma; and

WHEREAS, One of the complexities about brain injury is that no two
brain injuries are alike; and

WHEREAS, A brain injury may produce a diminished or altered state of
consciousness and can result in an impairment of cognitive abilities or
physical functioning; it can also result in the disturbance of
behavioral or emotional functioning; and

WHEREAS, The impairments that result from traumatic brain injury can
be temporary or permanent and can cause partial or total functional
disability or psychosocial maladjustment; and

WHEREAS, Brain Injury Awareness Month is dedicated to educating the
public about brain injuries and de-stigmatizing brain injury, empowering
those who have survived brain injury and their caregivers, and promoting
the many types of support that are available to people living with brain
injuries; and

WHEREAS, It is in the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
the achievements made and to continue these efforts by promoting the
prevention and educating the public about the dangers of brain injury;
now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 2024, as Brain
Injury Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; and Social Brain Organization.