New bill allocates funds to traumatic brain injury research

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Thousands of Ohioans go to the emergency room each year with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), but leave with little relief. A new bill is working to offer support.

“There are so many aspects of this injury to talk about and that are a big deal,” Founder of the Brain Injury Research foundation Chad Cole said.

Cole is a survivor of a TBI that he got back in 2015 when he was wake-boarding. He said his flare-ups, which caused things like nausea or feeling like his brain was on fire, often went untreated because there were little to no remedies back then – and there still are not.

“Traumatic brain injuries, they can happen to anyone at any time. I mean, 50% of TBIs are just a result of falls, people falling on the ground, slipping in a bathtub, tripping down the stairs,” Cole said. “There are so many ways that anyone can get one. Car accidents are obviously a way that you can get a severe traumatic brain injury, so, the list is endless.”

According to the Ohio Department of Health, 39,216 Ohioans had a TBI in 2021. That includes 2,914 TBI related deaths, with the highest rate occurring in males ages 25-34. According to Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center an estimated 1.65 million -- or 23% -- of adults in Ohio have had at least one TBI in their lifetime.

That is where House Bill 434 comes in. The bill allocates $10 million to the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Agency to establish and support the “Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Accelerator Pilot Program.”

“It's not enough, but it is a sure good start because there was $0 before this,” Cole said. “So, you know, the $10 million appropriation will definitely kick start this project off well.”

Under the bill, the Brain Injury Research Foundation must administer the program and award grants to partners, including universities, to support TBI research. They must also create an annual report of the program’s progress.

“Ohio has leading research teams all throughout the state. There are multiple universities that conduct research on traumatic brain injuries," Cole said. "The whole point of this bill is kind of to create a cohesive research plan and bring all these universities together to develop novel drugs, to treat traumatic brain injuries."

The bill had its first two hearings before summer break, with hospitals like Nationwide Children’s getting behind the effort.