AAN Pushes Congress on NIH, Stroke
The American Academy of Neurology is lobbying lawmakers on the National Institutes of Health's funding and stroke prevention and treatment legislation. In March, the House passed H.R. 477, which would create an educational campaign to promote stroke prevention and early treatment, provide grants for stroke and traumatic injury training programs, and create a 5-year pilot project to improve stroke outcomes via telemedicine. However, a bill containing similar provisions (S. 3297) saw no action in the Senate. AAN is working with the American Heart Association to get the stroke provisions added to any legislation that may move forward in the Senate before Congress adjourns for the year. AAN also is calling on Congress to pass a supplemental funding bill this fall that would increase the current NIH budget.
Mass. Brain Injury Settlement
This summer, brain injury patients and their advocates settled a class action lawsuit that alleged the state was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide adequate community services for individuals with brain injuries. As a result, Massachusetts will create two new waiver programs to help brain injury patients make the transition from nursing facilities to community living. These programs will help 200–250 people move out of nursing facilities each year. The state also will improve community services for brain injury patients.
Wanted: Female Neurosurgeons
Women currently make up only 5.9% of practicing neurosurgeons in the United States, even though women made up more than half of the students accepted to medical school in 2005, according to a paper from Women in Neurosurgery, an advocacy and networking group. The group researched recruitment and retention of female neurosurgeons at the request of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (doi:10.3171/JNS/2008/109/9/0377). Women in Neurosurgery proposed identifying and eliminating any discriminatory practices in the recruitment of medical students, the training of residents, and the hiring and advancement of neurosurgeons. The group advised promoting women into leadership positions within organized neurosurgery and fostering the development of female neurosurgeon role models.