MossRehab Receives $1.825 Million to Continue Traumatic Brain Injury Research and Magee Rehabilitation Joins as Clinical Site

Philadelphia, PA, January 24, 2003—For the second time, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has awarded MossRehab a grant to operate a regional Model System of Care for traumatic brain injury. The grant totals $1,825,000 and covers a five-year period from 2002 to 2007. The first grant for $1,725,000 was awarded to MossRehab in 1997.

A Model System of Care is a center of excellence for both treatment and research related to a particular disability. MossRehab is the only institution in the Philadelphia region to receive this funding from NIDRR. Sixteen grants were awarded nationwide.

MossRehab will operate its Traumatic Brain Injury Model System in cooperation with Magee Rehabilitation Hospital and seven trauma centers, including Albert Einstein Medical Center. Together, they offer treatments to patients with traumatic brain injury, beginning with emergency room admission and acute care through rehabilitation and community re-entry.

As a traumatic brain injury Model System of Care, MossRehab will continue to study long-term patient outcomes and develop new brain injury treatments. The data gathered at MossRehab, Magee Rehabilitation and other participating institutions become part of a comprehensive, multi-center database to which all traumatic brain injury Model Systems nationwide contribute.

MossRehab’s Chief Operating Officer Ruth Lefton noted, "By receiving the Model System grant for the second time, we are establishing Philadelphia as one of the top centers for traumatic brain injury treatment and research in the country. We are pleased that Magee Rehabilitation has joined the grant as a clinical site, allowing more patients to participate in the grant."

Model System Project Directors Tessa Hart, PhD, Institute Scientist, and John Whyte, MD, PhD, Director, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, will oversee the research program which includes:

• studying how assistive technology can help persons with cognitive and behavioral disabilities;
• validating an observational rating scale for attention dysfunction;
• exploring the use of botulinum toxin for treating severe spasticity caused by traumatic brain injury.

"The goal of the Model System of Care is to find better ways to evaluate and treat the complex problems caused by brain injury," says Dr. Hart. "We also collaborate with other centers around the country to identify the long-term needs of people affected by this disability, with the hope of developing better life-long services for them."

It is estimated that one million people are treated and released from hospital emergency rooms for traumatic brain injuries every year. While traumatic brain injury may cause many medical and physical problems, it is the cognitive, behavioral and social consequences that contribute greatest to long-term disability. Because it often interferes with educational or vocational productivity, traumatic brain injury has significant long-term economic implications for the injured individual, his or her family, and society at large. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, the cost of traumatic brain injury in the U.S. is estimated at $48.3 billion annually.

For information on treatment and research at MossRehab and Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, call 1-800-CALL-MOSS or visit www.einstein.edu/mossrehab .

Founded in 1992, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute serves as the central point for all research activities at MossRehab.

Recognized as a national leader in medical rehabilitation, MossRehab provides high-quality, compassionate medical care for individuals with physical disabilities. MossRehab treats many types of physical disorders, including traumatic brain injuries, stroke, aphasia, amputation, spasticity/impaired movement, spinal cord injuries and orthopaedic injuries. MossRehab’s main facility is located at 1200 Tabor Road in Philadelphia. It also operates inpatient units, outpatient sites and various community programs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. For more information, call 1-800-CALL-MOSS or visit www.einstein.edu/mossrehab.

Publish date: January 20, 2003