Pamela G. Blaxton-Dowd
Condemned
to Die: Ask me how. Tell me why.
August 20, 2012
The Honorable
Mike Crapo
251 Front
Street Suite 205
Boise, Idaho 83702
Dear Senator Crapo:
On May 26, 2010, Brenna, my 27 year old daughter suffered a
medically unexplained anoxic brain injury, that occurred as an awful byproduct
of an eye surgery she had the day before. Brenna died on October 1, 2011, not
as a result of the brain injury, but as what I believe is the most tragic of
circumstances, a compilation of inconsistent therapy, poor diabetic care for
her Type I diabetes, multiple institutional infections, medical errors that
caused internal bleeding and blood clots, a potassium imbalance that almost caused
her to have a heart attack, and long term infection from untreated broken
teeth.
I have chronicled her nightmarish journey through our broken
health care system in a newly released book. In September, with Brenna’s two
grieving dogs, I will embark on a three month, personally financed nationwide
tour, not primarily as a book tour, but to meet with brain injury victims and
their families in every region of the United States. I feel strongly that I
must do this to honor my daughter who would expect no less from her mother.
The purpose of this one woman two dog odyssey is to empower
other families who are facing a health care system that struggles with answers
to rehabilitation and recovery of brain injuries, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
and Hypoxic-Anoxic Injury (HAI), and, in my opinion, offers inadequate post
injury therapeutic support to both the injured, their family members, and
health care professionals who assist in the recovery process.
In my personal visits with health care professionals at all
levels, one thing has became abundantly clear; the mysteries of brain injury
treatment and recovery care are, in many ways, still great mysteries. As I
travel across the United States, I feel it is important for me to be part of a
national catalytical dialogue about how this country’s health care system
treats brain injuries and how they involve the family in the post injury
therapeutic recovery process.
As I prepare for this trip, I wanted to take the time to
correspond with you and ask you a few questions that I am getting from brain
injury patients and their families around the country. We would appreciate any
guidance you could offer about this important issue.
Obviously some of the questions have historical references and
some ask about the direction you and others in the Unites States Senate
leadership believe this country should be taking in the future of brain injury
rehabilitation. This question is asked in light of the increased number of
brain injuries reported in federal medical facilities across the country,
especially those war related head injuries seen in soldiers returning from
Afghanistan and Iraq.
Any information you can offer me in answering the following
questions would be greatly appreciated:
- Is there a federally
imposed quota system restricting to 35% the number of Hypoxic-Anoxic
Injury (HAI) patients accepted to brain rehabilitation hospitals that
receive federal funds? In a conversation with a brain injury evaluator
from Baylor University last year, the evaluator informed me of a “federally
mandated quota” for HAI patients. Additionally, the same evaluator
indicated brain injury rehabilitation hospitals were actively working to
reduce this quota.
- Is there any federal
funded research establishing which manufacturing industries report the
highest number of cases of HAI or TBI resulting from chemical exposures or
work place injuries? If not, do you believe such a study would be helpful
to health care professional and who do you believe should conduct such a
study?
- Are you aware of any statistical
information regarding the actual numbers of cases of HAI reported in the
United States on an annual basis?
- Does the United States
government have any statistical information on the rate of success in the
utilization of therapeutic hypothermia that prevents further brain injury
after the initial brain insult?
- Does the Unites States
government have any current statistical information regarding the use of
HBOT—Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for brain injury rehabilitation?
Additionally, what is the federal policy concerning the use of hyperbaric
chambers that are located at federal medical institutions or at federal
military installations? Are members of the public allowed access to these
facilities and, if so, under what conditions?
- Are there federal guidelines that define Medicare and insurance guidelines concerning hypoxic-anoxic brain injuries treatment and therapy? If such guidelines exist, where can they be found?
Senator Crapo, any information or guidance you can provide us
will be accepted with both grace and appreciation. I know much of the burden of
the research in answering my questions will fall on the shoulders of your staff
or other relevant committee staff. For your efforts and theirs I am truly
grateful.
Sincerely yours:
Pamela G. Blaxton-Dowd
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