Tag Archives: New Jersey

NJ Reopens Facility But Long-term TBI Care Residences Remain Limited Nationally

Healthcare worker helping man in wheelchair use keyboard for therapy

Congressman Tom Kean Jr. (NJ) recently helped reopen Complete Care at Willow Creek, the only long-term care facility for seniors with traumatic brain injuries in New Jersey. The Somerset County facility had closed after flood damage during Hurricane Ida nearly 5 years ago, followed by a fire. A terminated Medicare Provider Number threatened years of further delay. Kean’s office intervened, and the facility welcomed its first returning patient in August 2026. As Kean put it, “New Jersey’s seniors deserve access to the care they need.”.

Long-term facilities matter because severe TBI often requires round-the-clock skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and cognitive support that other house members can’t provide. While every state has general long-term care and nursing homes, specialized brain-injury facilities are comparatively rare: Willow Creek is New Jersey’s sole option and, in total, only around 17 states provide specialized TBI-specific Medicaid waiver programs to fund long-term residential and group-home placements.

Hawaii’s New Strick E-Bike Law to Prevent Brain Injury

Dr. Josh Green in white coat with stethoscope in office and Hawaiian flag

Governor Josh Green signed Act 259 (HB 2021) on July 15, 2026, giving Hawaii its first comprehensive statewide e-bike framework. The law requires helmets for all riders under 18, bars anyone under 15 from operating an e-bike, and prohibits riders under 16 from using Class 2 or Class 3 models without adult supervision.

The measure grew out of an alarming rise in head trauma. Hawaii Department of Health data reported that e-bike injuries more than doubled between 2022 and 2025, from 106 to 244. Honolulu EMS also found that 81 percent of the e-bike patients that were treated wore no head protection. Honolulu-based Kapi’olani Medical Center’s trauma team reported that e-bike crashes recently became the leading cause of injury among the children it treated.

Man riding a bicycle on the sandy beach during sunset

Green, previously an emergency physician, has been blunt about the stakes. “If they have a head trauma, they’re probably going to have long-standing disability from the traumatic head injury,” he said in a September 2025 interview.

The law also reclassifies machines exceeding 28 mph as e-motorcycles, subject to licensing, registration, and insurance. California imposes comparable rules, while New Jersey now goes further, requiring helmets for e-bike riders of every age.

See also: E-Bikes and Brain Injury: The Risks, the Recovery, and the Law

NJ Lawmakers Push Bill to Catch Brain Injuries Before They Become Criminal Records

Nearly one in five incarcerated adolescents have a clinically significant brain injury. Most, however, are never diagnosed. New Jersey lawmakers want to change that.

Assembly bill A5104 (introduced May 18, 2026) and its Senate companion S4112 (introduced May 4, 2026) would establish a Brain Injury Screening and Education Program within the Department of Children and Families, targeting children and specific young adults ages 5 to 21, who are in or at risk of entering the mental-health or juvenile-justice systems. The program would deploy validated screening tools, train judges, educators, law enforcement, and facility staff, and fund public outreach on the link between undiagnosed brain injury and delinquency. As stated in the bill’s text, the goal is to “prevent admissions to psychiatric hospitals and reduce the recidivism rates of juveniles adjudicated delinquent.”

Committee hearing on Juvenile Brain Injury Bill in State House chamber with legislators reviewing documents

Prime sponsor Assemblyman Sterley Stanley is joined in the Senate by Patrick Diegnan, whose history of support for the brain injury committee includes championing New Jersey’s 2010 student-athlete concussion law and earning the Brain Injury Alliance’s Brady Award for Public Service in 2019. Bipartisan Senate co-sponsors are Angela McKnight and Owen Henry.

As of June 2026, no other state has enacted a comparable statutory youth program, making New Jersey a potential national first.

The Chemical Time Bomb in Orange County

Workers in high-visibility vests wearing masks walking in a dusty warehouse near caution-taped barrels

A catastrophic chemical emergency has engulfed Orange County, California, forcing more than 50,000 residents to flee after a massive tank of methyl methacrylate ruptured at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency. President Trump also approved of Newsom’s request for federal aid, unlocking critical FEMA resources to help stabilize the crisis.

What many people don’t realize is that many chemicals, including methyl methacrylate, don’t just threaten the lungs. They also target the brain. Research published on NIH’s PubMed has found that methyl methacrylate causes measurable neurological deficits in exposed industrial workers, impairing memory, learning, and movement. One study documented that vapor exposure depressed electrical activity in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center. The neurological symptoms of exposure, like headaches, lethargy, and a heavy, numb sensation in the limbs, can take days or weeks to appear.

As research further reveals, chronic exposure can cause degenerative changes in the brain and permanent nerve damage. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions face the greatest risk. As Garden Grove begins to recover, the invisible injury to thousands of brains is only beginning to unfold.

Workers in high-visibility vests wearing masks walking in a dusty warehouse near caution-taped barrels

This concern over industrial chemical dust is not new. California already has the strictest regulations on chemical plants and manufacturers of any state. Proposition 65 states that these companies must provide public warnings if they emit or use hundreds of chemicals linked to cancer or reproductive harm. Beyond just being one of the first states to mandate regulations, New Jersey also imposes some of the most rigorous chemical safety and security standards. Additionally, with the Matt Haller Act, Illinois enforces some of the strictest emission regulations. As Illinois Senator Dick Durbin captured in a 2017 letter addressed to the CDC Director: “It is clear that public exposure to [industrial chemical] dust can lead to serious health, safety, and environmental issues.”

Honoring Congressman Pascrell’s Brain Injury Legacy

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted 43-0, to advance H.R. 1493 on May 21, 2026. Introduced by Representative Frank Pallone (NJ), alongside a bipartisan list of original co-sponsors Rob Menendez (NJ), Don Bacon (NE), and Dan Crenshaw (TX)*, the bill would both reauthorize and expand important federal programs related to traumatic brain injury and retitle the CDC’s national TBI surveillance and registry program; as proposed, the program would be known as The Bill Pascrell, Jr., national program for traumatic brain injury surveillance and registries.

The naming is fitting. The late New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell was a fierce advocate for the brain injury community. Over 20 years, he urged Congress and federal agencies to confront issues related to brain injury, which he frequently described as America’s “silent epidemic”. In 2001, he co-founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force.

The unanimous bipartisan vote proves that both parties recognize Pascrell’s irreplaceable contributions to millions of Americans living with brain injuries.

* The bill has since gained an additional 3 bipartisan co-sponsors: Christopher Deluzio (PA), John H. Rutherford (FL), Eugene Simon Vindman (VA).

Generation Alpha’s Trending Trauma

Speaker presenting to attentive diverse audience about online safety and 'Blackout Challenge' risks and prevention

In February 2026, nine-year-old JackLynn Blackwell died in her Stephenville, Texas backyard with a cord around her neck after seeing the “blackout challenge” online. A repackaging of the “choking game” that was first catalogued by the CDC in 2008, the blackout challenge is causing yourself to pass out. (This, in turn, causes “permanent, irreversible brain damage”.) It exploded on TikTok in 2021, as the For You algorithm began pushing self-strangulation videos to young users chasing a brief euphoric high from cerebral hypoxia. The trend has shown its lasting power: In South Orange Middle School in New Jersey, two students passed out after engaging in the challenge in 2024.

The blackout challenge has been noticed by politicians: on October 8, 2024, a bipartisan coalition of 14 attorney generals filed separate enforcement actions. “TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people … [but] young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous TikTok challenges,” remarked the group’s co-leader Letitia James (NY). In a March 23, 2026 press release, Congressman Jimmy Patronis (FL) stated, “As a parent, I cannot ignore the very real danger [the blackout challenge] poses to our children. Too many families have already suffered unimaginable loss.”  

Beyond concern, this childhood “thrill-seeking” has prompted some schools to take action. In New York, New Jersey and other states, schools have issued parental advisories in an attempt to protect children’s developmentally immature brains. One can hope that this trend is waning in popularity, and will soon be remembered only as an unfortunate episode in Generation Alpha’s past.

Bounce, Track, Heal: The Surprising Science Behind Roofball and Brain Injury Recovery

Roofball is exactly what it sounds like: players throw or hit a ball onto a sloped roof, and opponents return it before it stops. Originating in America as early as the 1960s*, the sport exploded in popularity after a 2023 Reddit post showcased the Roofball World Championships, racking up 500,000+ views. In 2024, the Roofball World Championship even aired on ESPN.

The game uses simple equipment: a ball, a roof, and competitive spirit. Players score points based on ball placement, with gutters and roof angles adding unpredictable bounces that demand quick reflexes. It can be played one-on-one or with a team, usually during the warmer months of spring and summer. Now governed by the Roofball Federation of America (RFA), which has a presence in multiple states, from New Jersey to Oklahoma, it features regional tournaments. Recreationally, the sport can be played one-on-one or with teams.

Beyond fun, roofball’s rapid tracking and catching may benefit brain injury recovery. A 2025 randomized controlled trial published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and available on the PubMed database, found that ball-sport-based exercise therapy significantly improves motor function, balance, and quality of life in acquired brain injury patients. As hand-eye coordination disruption is among the most common deficits after brain injury, the repetitive coordination of handling a bouncing ball drives the neuroplasticity essential for recovery.

Roofball shows that healing can start on your own roof.

*Other reports state that it originated is Oregon in 1998.

E-Bikes and Brain Injury: The Risks, the Recovery, and the Law

E-bikes continue to grow in popularity, allowing one to avoid automobile traffic. But because e-bikes can reach speeds of 20 to 28 mph or more, crashes carry serious consequences, including severe traumatic brain injuries. More so, studies have found that young e-bikers suffer traumatic brain injuries at nearly twice the rate of traditional cyclists (37.8% vs. 19.4%). Notably, only 44% of hospitalized e-bike riders were wearing helmets, and helmetless riders were almost twice as likely to sustain a head injury.

The case of Bella Prince, a Utah teenager who crashed her e-bike into a retaining wall at 40 mph and tumbled 25 feet down a cliff, brought special attention to the e-bike issue in the State. The teen survived because of emergency neurosurgery, but she was left with a severe traumatic brain injury. Horrific stories like Bella’s are driving legislative action. Utah’s HB 381, Electric Mobility Device Amendments, passed both the House and Senate with broad support on February 13, 2026. The bill requires helmets for e-bike riders under 21 and empowers police to impound e-bikes from unsafe riders. (As of March 16, 2026, HB 381 has not been signed into law by the governor.)

Currently, only Alabama, Connecticut, and Massachusetts require helmets for all e-bike riders of every age and class. California, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia, mandate helmets for all Class 3 e-bike riders, with Class 3 defined as bikes that are pedal-assist up to 28 mph. California also enacted a package including AB 1778 in 2024, which created a Marin County pilot program requiring all Class 2 riders to wear helmets and banning riders under 16 from Class 2 e-bikes. In New York, pending bill S2526 would require helmets for all e-bike and bicycle riders in larger cities, though the same bill has failed in prior years. New Jersey S4834/A6235 abolished the three-class system entirely and reclassified all e-bikes as “motorized bicycles” requiring licensing, registration, insurance, and mandatory helmets beginning in January 2026. However, as of now, no federal e-bike helmet law exists.

Yet e-bikes can also be part of traumatic brain injury recovery. The pedal-assist feature allows TBI survivors with limited stamina, balance issues, or motor challenges to engage in outdoor physical activity, which research links to improved cognitive function and mental health during rehabilitation.

Ultimately, the message is clear: e-bikes offer real benefits, but only when ridden safely.

NJ’s Proposed Step Forward May Be a Step Too Far

New Jersey Senate Bill S192, introduced January 13, 2026, would allow residents diagnosed with a traumatic or acquired brain injury to voluntarily add a designation to their driver’s license or state ID. The notation, stored in a Motor Vehicle Commission registry accessible to law enforcement, aims to improve interactions between officers and brain-injured individuals.

The bill is sponsored by Senate Transportation Committee Chair Senator Patrick Diegnan, with Senator Parker Space among its co-sponsors, making it a bipartisan measure. “[Individuals with brain injuries] often have differing communication styles and body language, which an officer could misinterpret. Having a designation would help to lower the risk of negative encounters,” states Diegnan.  This is not Diegnan’s first push on the issue. Predecessor bills S3673 and A2961 carried over from the 2024 – 2025 session.

Other states have already enacted comparable measures. Virginia allows residents to voluntarily add a traumatic brain injury designation to their driver’s license or ID card through the DL-145 form. Maine has codified acquired brain injury identification cards under Title 29-A, §1410-A of state statute. While New Jersey, Virginia and Maine may politically lean left, the contents of the bill are bipartisan, in relation to state. In right-leaning Tennessee, Code § 55-50-307 provides a similar acquired brain injury designation for driver’s licenses and photo ID cards.

Proponents argue the bill saves lives by reducing dangerous miscommunications during traffic stops. Critics, however, raise civil liberties concerns, as a visible disability marker could expose individuals to stigma, implicit bias, or unequal treatment. Well-intentioned protection could inadvertently promote discrimination against the brain-injured population.

What will happen to S192 in New Jersey remains uncertain. Since introduction, the Senate Transportation Committee passed it with amendment by a unanimous 6–0 vote on February 5, 2026. It now sits in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, before being sent to the Senate and Assembly.

Stroke Detection Mandate Comes to RAA

Richmond Ambulance Authority became Virginia’s first government-funded emergency medical service to train staff on advanced stroke detection, implementing the American Heart Association’s Essential Stroke Life Support program in December 2025. The initiative equips approximately 175 paramedics and EMTs with the BEFAST protocol – assessing balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, and symptom timing – allowing strokes to be identified faster.

During an untreated stroke, 1.9 million neurons die every minute, according to NIH-funded research. Patients receiving early treatment for this brain injury show remarkably improved outcomes, with some studies reporting 40% relative increases in independent ambulation.

With reports showing that approximately 205,000 annual EMS activations nationwide are related to suspected stroke, prehospital detection is critical. Stroke continuing education mandates, though, remain limited. States with requirements include Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, California, Illinois, North Carolina, and Texas. New Jersey law N.J.S.A. 27:5F-27.1 mandates that “each emergency medical services [EMS] provider… shall incorporate training on the assessment and treatment of stroke patients”.

“Time is tissue,” explained RAA Training Coordinator Harold Mayfield. “[Most] brain tissue does not regenerate. The sooner we identify and treat, the better the outcome.”