Fall 2014 Edition

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lex Frieden to serve in his administration as director of the newly created National Council on the Handicapped, now called the National Council on Disability. In 1986, Frieden and the council proposed the Americans with Disabilities Act, and in 1988, the draft legislation they produced passed and was signed by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990. As a prelude to the 25th anniversary of the ADA, he and President Bush reflected on the magnitude of change brought about by the passage of the act and work that remains to be done.

As we prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act next July, Lex Frieden, an architect of the ADA and lifelong advocate of disability rights legislation, interviewed his personal friend President George H. W. Bush about the changes brought about by the passage of the act and the work that remains to be done. In this issue, you’ll also learn about Dr. Matt Davis’ work with the National Quality Forum and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advocate for spinal cord injury patients in the acute care setting.

Lex Frieden’s historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) memorabilia and archives collection has been chosen to be housed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University. Frieden is director of the Southwest ADA Center and the Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) program at TIRR Memorial Hermann. He is also professor of bioinformatics and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

With the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approaching on July 26, 2015, organizers of the ADA Legacy Project embarked on a yearlong nationwide tour to build awareness of this historic legislation. At an inaugural press conference held last July in Houston, former National Council on Disability chairperson Lex Frieden, director of the Great Lakes ADA Center Robin Jones, former executive director of the Houston Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Michelle Colvard and Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced the start of the ADA Legacy Tour, and discussed the progress of the ADA and current events affecting individuals with disabilities.

With a financial penalty from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) associated with an above-average rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), hospitals around the country are focusing their attention on reductions in this core measure, one of many created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Quality Forum – and enforced by CMS.

“Hope is not a dream, but a way of making your dreams become a reality.” Those are the words of Nina Brown, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1985 and has since been a tireless advocate for the Parkinson’s community and for medical research. For many years, she has served on the Houston Area Parkinson Society (HAPS) board of directors in various capacities, including vice president and secretary of the executive board and editor of the HAPS monthly newsletter.

Studies have shown that 35 to 40% of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) are misdiagnosed and undertreated. Frequently thought of as vegetative, many are either conscious or minimally conscious. The interdisciplinary team including a neuropsychologist, speech language pathologist, physical therapist and a therapy tech performing an assessment together using the coma recovery scale. "These are patients with severely impaired consciousness as a result of acquired brain injury or insult, most often traumatic brain injury or anoxic injury,” says Sunil Kothari, MD.

In September, 80 psychiatrists, neurologists, physiatrists, internists and family medicine specialists gathered with other health care providers for a CME program on Pharmacologic Facilitation of Brain Injury Rehabilitation, hosted by the Brain Injury Research Center (BIRC) at TIRR Memorial Hermann. The one-day event was held at the Trevisio Restaurant and Conference Center in the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons Building.

For the last 14 years, brain injury experts from around the country have attended the Galveston Brain Injury Conference to address current topics in brain injury treatment and research. In 2013, 50 clinicians, researchers and policymakers focused on brain injury as a chronic condition. This year’s conference, an invitation-only gathering held in April 2014, was a continuation of that discussion, with results to be published later this year.

It was a year and a month before Benita “B.J.” Atkinson slipped her feet back into her trademark 5-inch stilettos after suffering an ischemic stroke while on vacation in New Orleans. Rushed to Tulane Medical Center on July 7, 2013, the 40-year-old was administered tPA and tucked into intensive care for the next five days.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with decreased community participation (CP) after injury in key roles, including employment. Approximately 60% of individuals hospitalized with TBI remain unable to return to work at one year post-injury, resulting in estimated total lifetime productivity losses of $51.2 billion. Resource facilitation (RF) has been shown to be effective toward improving CP following TBI. RF is a “partnership that helps people and communities choose, get and keep information, services and supports to make informed choices and meet their goals.”

Innovators from around the world gathered last September in Baiona, Spain, to discuss challenges and potential solutions for the development of wearable robotics that support advanced therapeutic interventions for stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and other neurological diseases. TIRR Memorial Hermann, Korea University and the Commission of the European Union were the major sponsors of the first International Workshop on Wearable Robotics, held September 14-19.

Senior scientist and research coordinator Margaret A. (Peg) Nosek, Ph.D., will lead the research component and help develop a new dedicated women’s program at TIRR Memorial Hermann Outpatient Medical Clinic. Dr. Nosek, the founder and executive director of the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), is a professor in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the institution. She is also adjunct professor in the College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University in Denton.

As chair of the Education Committee of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM), Gerald Francisco, MD, is leading a global effort to ensure that rehabilitation specialists and other interested clinicians have the knowledge they need to provide quality rehabilitative care in their home countries.

Spinal cord injury specialist Argyrios Stampas, MD, and brain injury specialist Christopher M. Falco, MD, have joined the medical staff of TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Find Accolades, In Print, On The Podium and Upcoming Education Courses for Fall 2014.

In Lex Frieden’s interview with President George H. W. Bush about the long-ranging influence of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the two longtime colleagues and friends discuss the progress we’ve made as a nation in increasing physical accessibility for people with disabilities. In today’s more accessible physical environment, we become even more aware of other barriers to full participation in life, including obstacles to employment.