Farmingville, NY - At the March 12 Brookhaven Town Board meeting, Councilman Michael Loguercio sponsored a resolution that was unanimously adopted to designate March as Brain Injury Awareness Month in the Town of Brookhaven.
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) leads the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month by conducting an awareness campaign each year in March. The theme for the 2018-2020 campaign is Change Your Mind. The #ChangeYourMind public awareness campaign provides a platform for educating the general public about the incidence of brain injury and the needs of people with brain injuries and their families; such as:
● De-stigmatizing brain injury through outreach within the brain injury community;
● Empowering those who have survived brain injury and their families;
● Promoting the many types of support that are available to people living with brain injury.
According to the BIAA, every nine seconds someone in the United States sustains a brain injury. Every day, 137 people die in the United States because of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and at least 5.3 million Americans live with a TBI related disability.
Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said, “The importance of helping those who have survived brain injuries and their families cannot be underestimated. I recommend residents contact Brookhaven Town’s Office of Disabilities and find out about the resources available to them.”
“One in every 60 people in America lives with a TBI disability,” Councilman Michael Loguercio, Town Board liaison to the Office of Disabilities Services said. “By raising awareness of this issue, the idea is for people to become more informed about this issue, and for people living with brain injuries and their families to familiarize themselves with the resources available to help them live their best lives.”
Brookhaven Town’s Mobility and Disability Specialist Clifford Hymowitz is a TBI survivor. He uses his personal experience as motivation to assist residents with disabilities and has developed an excellent network of referral resources to help Brookhaven residents and their families.
On Saturday, April 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the Brookhaven Town Disability Task Force will hold the Annual Youth Abilities Resource Fair at the Middle Country Public Library, located at 101 Eastwood Boulevard in Centereach. This is a fun-filled day with supervised activities for children that provides an opportunity to learn about the many resources available within the Town of Brookhaven. For more information, please call 631-451-6284 or to pre-register, visit the Town website.
For more information about the Town of Brookhaven’s Office of Disabilities, please call 631-451-6600 or visit brookhavenny.gov/disability.
Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone 631-451-6595