Advocates Reveal State of Progress, Need for More Clinical Research During Brain Injury Awareness Month

Montel Williams and Brain Injury Association of America Tackle TBI

NEWTOWN, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the nation kicks off March as Brain
Injury Awareness Month, leading advocates acknowledge
accomplishments and advances in the field but recognize further advances
are needed to help the more than five million people living with brain
injuries in the U.S. today. Patient advocate and television personality
Montel Williams and the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) have
once again joined forces to call for greater strides in awareness,
understanding, access to quality care, treatment opportunities and
research for concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

In advance of Brain Injury Awareness Month, Montel Williams and Helius
Medical Technologies, in partnership with BIAA, launched “Tackling
TBI,” an awareness campaign for TBI. The mission of the
campaign is to raise awareness of TBI and concussions as growing health
issues, to educate patients and caregivers, provide resources and to
share opportunities to participate in research. The campaign includes a
Public Service Announcement (PSA) featuring Montel Williams and former
NFL player Marvin Washington, and a video series of interviews with TBI
patients. Information on a Helius sponsored clinical trial for TBI can
be found at www.braininjurytrial.com.

“Currently more than 5.3 million Americans in the U.S. live with a
lifelong disability as a result of a TBI and there are 1.7 million new
cases each year,” said Montel Williams. “But this isn’t just a civilian
issue, an average of 15,000 active duty service members acquire brain
injuries every year. Our goal is to raise awareness and provide patients
information about new therapies in clinical trials so that they can have
an educated discussion with their healthcare provider about the best
option for them. My goal is to apply what I’ve learned as an MS patient
and help those suffering from TBI become educated participants in their
own courses of treatment.”

“Brain injury has been thrust onto the national circuit as a result of
important discussions around football players and veterans and now there
remains important work to be done for all Americans living with the
condition,” said Susan Connors, president and chief executive officer of
BIAA. “A TBI can be the start of a misdiagnosed and misunderstood
neurological disease and we need to expand on how we deliver help, hope
and healing to the millions who have sustained this life-altering,
sometimes devastating, injury.”

Recent brain injury advances include:

• A three-year project to develop first-time Guidelines for the
  Rehabilitation and Disease Management of Adults with Moderate to
  Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
• The recent passing of the 21st Century Cures Act that will allow for
  the establishment of an NIH data collection system to track the
  incidence and prevalence of neurological conditions, provide NIH and
  FDA with new funding for medical research and new treatments, and
  support the coordination and collaboration of rehabilitation research.
• Public awareness including BIAA’s Not Alone campaign designed
  to educate the general public about the incidence of brain injury and
  the needs of people with brain injuries and their families. The
  campaign works to de-stigmatize the injury, empower those who have
  survived, and promote the many types of support that are available.
• The availability of clinical trials to support the development of new
  therapies.

A TBI is an injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain and
can be caused by a host of things such as sports, car accidents,
military service, trips, slips or falls. For many people, TBI causes
fatigue, headaches, and difficulty with balance or motor skills, slurred
speech, or seizures. Depending on the severity of the brain injury
sustained, individuals with brain injuries need an array of emergency
services, hospitalization, physician services, and medications to
survive injury, as well as a continuum of treatments and rehabilitation
to recover and regain as much lost function as possible over time.

About the Brain Injury Association of American (BIAA)

The Brain Injury Association of America is the country’s oldest and
largest nationwide brain injury advocacy organization. BIAA’s mission is
to advance awareness, research, treatment, and education and to improve
the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury. BIAA is
dedicated to increasing access to quality health care and raising
awareness and understanding of brain injury. Further resources and
information related to brain injury are available at http://www.BIAUSA.org,
BIAA on Facebook and Twitter Page and through the National Brain Injury
Information Center (NBIIC) at 1-800-444-6443.

About Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.

Helius Medical Technologies is a medical technology company focused on
neurological wellness. Helius seeks to develop, license and acquire
unique and non-invasive platform technologies that amplify the brain’s
ability to heal itself. For more information, please visit www.heliusmedical.com.

To download media resources for the “Tackling TBI” campaign visit: www.tacklingtbi.com.

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Contacts

Media:
For Helius Medical Technologies
Becky Kern, 914-772-2310
bkern@heliusmedical.com