Good Afternoon Friends and Supporters of BIAWW:

Please find attached our January-February 2012 Newsletter (pdf). We are very pleased to be sending this to you in our new format. We welcome your comments.

Please consider advertising in our newsletter.

We are happy to announce that our Indoor Golf Classic is being held on March 22, 23, 24, 2012 at Golf Without Limits Indoor Golf Club and Academy. Please check our website www.biaww.com for further details or email me and I can send you the information via email.

Bicycle Helmet Recall from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research.

BrainTrust Canada is excited to present our annual Okanagan Conference on Brain Injury. This year’s conference will be held in Naramata, BC at the Naramata Centre. The Naramata Centre is situated on Okanagan Lake, just south of Kelowna, amidst fragrant orchards and vineyards. The conference dates are set for May 30, 31 and June 1, 2012.

Our 2012 Keynote Speakers are:

• Michael Douglas, Instructor of Human Social Work at Okanagan College, Kelowna British Columbia
• Dr. Barry Willer, Professor of the School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at the university of Buffalo, Buffalo New York
• Dr. Mark Holder, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna British Columbia
• Dr. Valerie Stone, Educator with Answers About Competency & Brain Injury, Golden Colorado
• David McGuire, Brain Injury Survivor & Marathon Runner, New Westminster British Columbia

This year we are excited to invite members of the brain injury community to submit an abstract for presentation. We have nine, 45 minute workshop spots available and are looking for individuals from across the country to bring current, vibrant and diverse information to this leading educational venue for professionals, families, caregivers and people living with injury.

Please see the attached call for abstracts on requirements and how to submit. If you need more information or have any questions please contact us by email or call our office at 1 (888) 762-3233. Thank you so much for your time!

Thank you!
2012 Conference Committee
www.braintrustcanada.com
conference@braintrustcanada.com

In preparation of the Council of the Federation starting today in Victoria, please read the news release from the Canadian Medical Association (pdf) on a new public opinion poll showing that Canadians overwhelmingly agree that governments should adopt principles to make the health care system more centred on the needs of patients. Full results and questions can be accessed at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5469.

Regards,
François Lessard
Senior Advisor, Advocacy and Public Affairs│Conseiller principal, Représentation et affaires publiques
Canadian Medical Association│Association médicale canadienne
613 731-8610 │800 663-7336 ext./poste 2261
francois.lessard@cma.ca
www.cma.ca
1867 prom. Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1G 5W8
Faites-vous entendre : www.transformationsante.ca
Have your say: www.healthcaretransformation.ca

Your invitation (pdf)
We can hardly wait to see you there and shake your hand…
And to thank you for your past support !
Sincerely,
British Columbia Brain Injury Association
#143
11948 207 Street
Maple Ridge, BC
V2X 1X7
For Tickets:
604-788-7221
Fax: 888-429-0656
(No tickets sold at the door)

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) today announced that 14 patient advocacy groups are raising their voices in support of a set of common principles developed by Canada’s physicians and nurses to guide the transformation of the health care system to make it centred on the needs of patients. The news release is attached.

-Growing Support for principles to guide transformation of the health care system (pdf)
-Appui croissant en faveur des principes devant guider la transformation du système de santé (pdf)

Regards,
François Lessard
Senior Advisor, Advocacy and Public Affairs│Conseiller principal, Représentation et affaires publiques
Canadian Medical Association│Association médicale canadienne
613 731-8610 │800 663-7336 ext./poste 2261
francois.lessard@cma.ca
www.cma.ca
1867 prom. Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1G 5W8
Have your say: www.healthcaretransformation.ca

Over the past few months exciting research has been going on with regard to neurological conditions. As is the case in most of these studies, researchers are looking for people to interact with to gather important information. Some of you have already responded to the call from the fall; some of you have started the process and need to complete it; and others may have just overlooked it within our fast paced daily activities.

Some of you are getting this call for the first time and if so we would like you to get involved in the study.

Some of you may know a brain injury survivor or caregivers of a young child or adult who could participate in this study, I would encourage you to get the information about this study out to them for their possible participation.

For a long time, we have said that there are many Canadians, our estimates are about 1.4 million, suffering wide ranging disabilities as a result of a brain injury including concussions which is a brain injury. This is our community’s opportunity to convey the challenges associated with brain injury to researchers so that they can convey the challenges to Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Public including politicians at all levels of government.

All of the information related to this study is here:
The Everyday Experience of Living with and Managing a Neurological Condition (pdf)
L’expérience quotidienne de vivre avec une maladie neurologique et de la gérer (pdf)

This information can be printed off and put up on a bulletin board. Further information can be found below. Thanking everyone in advance for their cooperation and efforts in circulating this widely and recruiting people to this study.

I have also enclosed the final recruitment poster in English, and French for the LINC Study for distribution to members of the Brain Injury Association of Canada.

We have had a good response from members of the Brain Injury Association and we hope this continues. Individuals who have not yet participated can access the survey online. Could you please remind participants who have started the survey but not yet completed it to return to the survey and do so. If they have any difficulties they can contact us at 1 855 462 6828 (toll free) or email us at thelincstudy@dal.ca.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter,
Lisa Currie
Research Associate, Occupational Therapist (Reg.NS)
BSc Neuroscience (Hons), BScOT, MSc Community Health and Epidemiology