26th Annual Statewide Conference was a wonderful success! Thank you to all our Sponsors and Exhibitors!
Diamond Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Exhibitors
Centre for Neuro Skills
Core Healthcare
Pate Rehabilitation
ResCare Premier
Transitional Learning Center
Mary Lee Foundation
Mentis Neuro Rehabilitation
EmFinders
G A Bishop & Associates, LLC
Allergan Neuroscience
Touchstone Neurorecovery Center
Bioness, Inc
Neurorestorative Specialty Services at UTHCT
TX Department of Family and Protective Services
(Photos from the conference. Thanks to Board Member, Bob Hamilton for always having his camera ready!)
Friday keynote speaker, Steven Benvenisti with BIATX President, Jane Boutte
Friday keynote speaker, Steven Benvenisti with BIATX volunteers, Sherry Straube and Chrystal Wells.
Luncheon keynote speaker, Dr. Brent Masel, Transitional Learning Center
Veterans panel discussion with (l to r) Jane Stewart, ResCare Premier, Elliot Escobar, ResCare Premier and Shane and Cindy Parsons
Support Group of the Year winner, Johnny Taylor and BIATX President, Jane Boutte
Speaker, Ana Maria Machado-Tovar, family caregiver
Speaker, Leah Bell, Pate Rehabilitation
Speaker, Col. Orlando Salinas
25th Annual Statewide Conference Wrap
The 2009 BIATX Conference was a tremendous success thanks to the commitment of our board members, staff, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, vendors, and our partnership with CTD. We are very appreciative of each one in attendance and hope you felt the information presented was helpful to you. BIATX was so inspired by the conference, we plan to return to our annual conference which will be scheduled for 2010. We want to reach out to survivors, families, professionals, students, attorneys, and any others who may be interested in prevention and education regarding brain injury. We would appreciate your input regarding any information that you feel would be helpful to you. Please email your response to info@biatx.org so that we may consider and incorporate your needs into our planning as much as we possibly can.
As you know, BIATX supported several Texas congressional bills this year that we believed would further access to brain injury treatment. This support included a Medicare waiver for a brain injury long term residential program and the establishment of a separate license for brain injury and standard of care in Texas for the delivery of brain injury services. We are happy that DARS CRS funding appears to have escaped any cutbacks. The Medicare waiver is currently under study through Texas Health and Human Services Commission and we hope and believe this is the first step toward accomplishing access to those who so desperately need these services. Finally, the licensure bill was opposed by a small group and was killed at the committee level prior to vote. (Please refer to our “Legislative Update” section for a more detailed account.) We view this not as a failure but rather an opportunity to increase open dialogue, to gain input from you, our stakeholders, and to give us time to improve and strengthen the bill for the next session.
Nationally health care reform is a hot topic. I would like to encourage each of you to review some of the proposed legislation and evaluate the impact on access to brain injury services. The Brain Injury Association of America is very involved in advocating for improved access to services. Please take a look BIAA’s website to find out what you can do to help insure brain injury services are available for those who need it. BIAA is asking that you contact your US legislature via a form letter; this information is also available on our website. Remember YOUR VOICE DOES COUNT!
I am very excited about our upcoming Golf Tournament set for November 14th, 2009 in Houston at the Longwood Golf Club. I encourage you to attend as a player, sponsor, or observer. Thanks to the Fundraising Committee with a special thanks to Dalton Goode for getting the ball rolling on this. I know this will be a huge success and a lot of fun.
Finally, I would like to close with a special thank you to our board members, volunteers, and Erin Garrison. BIATX committees and committee chairs have enthusiasm to accomplish our mission and their goals. Please refer to our web site at www.biatx.org for a list of our committees, members and committee chairs. I would also like to encourage you to attend our next meeting on October 17, 2009 at 10:00 AM at the BIATX main office located at 316 W. 12th Street in Austin.
Best Regards,
Jane Boutte, BIATX President 2009
Conference Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Scholarships Provided By:
(Photos from the Conference. Thanks to Board Member, Bob Hamilton for always having his camera ready!)
Awards Luncheon
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Mary Ellen Hayden, PhD (L) with BIATX President, Jane Boutte (R)
Survivor of the Year, Sean Carter
BIATX President, Jane Boutte (C) and Eric Makowski, Former BIATX President (L)
Eric Makowski with Extra Mile Award Recipient, John Meinkowsky
Speakers
Dr. Brent Masel, President and Medical Director of Transitional Learning Center-Galveston
Richard Temple, PhD, CORE Health Care
Jeff Powell, TX Army National Guard, Trauma Surgery
Exhibitors
