Release Date: 2007-06-20
Original Link: http://presszoom.com/story_134452.html
Source: WISC.EDU
Lyn Turkstra, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of communication disorders and neurological surgery, participated in a National Press Club conference today in Washington, D.C., on traumatic brain injury. She also addressed the need for a new treatment agenda to improve access to and insurance coverage of appropriate care and rehabilitation for patients after brain injury.
(PressZoom.com) - Lyn Turkstra, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of communication disorders and neurological surgery, participated in a National Press Club conference today in Washington, D.C., on traumatic brain injury. She also addressed the need for a new treatment agenda to improve access to and insurance coverage of appropriate care and rehabilitation for patients after brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury has a higher incidence rate than illnesses such as breast cancer and AIDS, but a poll conducted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) indicates that health care access and insurance are impediments to improving care. According to a recent statement by the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin, more than 5,900 traumatic brain injuries occur in Wisconsin each year.
Turkstra's research focuses on understanding the effects of cognitive impairments on communication in adolescents and adults with acquired neurological disorders. She notes that brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adolescents in the United States. She can be reached at (608) 262-7583, lsturkstra@wisc.edu.
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Jill Sakai, (608) 262-9772, jasakai@wisc.edu