Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The seal for the state of Pennsylvania. WHEREAS, brain injuries can range in severity — traumatic and non-traumatic, mild or moderate, and sometimes even go undiagnosed and untreated; and WHEREAS, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries result in impairment of cognitive abilities, physical functioning, or behavioral or emotional wellbeing; and WHEREAS, more than 543,000 children and adults in Pennsylvania are living with a disability because of a traumatic brain injury; and WHEREAS, each year, approximately 17,000 Pennsylvania children sustain a traumatic brain injury; and WHEREAS, approximately one fourth of infants diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome die as a result of direct brain injuries and survivors of shaken baby syndrome suffer permanent neurological damage; and WHEREAS, more than 185,000 veterans have been diagnosed with at least one traumatic brain injury; and WHEREAS, approximately 50% of individuals receiving treatment for substance use have a history of at least one brain injury; and WHEREAS, individuals who sustain a brain injury require extensive support by providers and caregivers with a thorough understanding of brain injuries and their related issues so that those affected may live an independent lifestyle and meet their life-long goals; and WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Department of Health in cooperation with various partners and stakeholders within the brain injury community, are committed to enhancing the lives of those living with brain injuries by providing rehabilitation, education, awareness, and advocacy. THEREFORE, I, Josh Shapiro, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do hereby proclaim March 2026 to be BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH and I encourage all Pennsylvanians to recognize the value and importance of brain injury prevention and awareness. GIVEN under my hand and the Seal of the Governor, at the City of Harrisburg, on this twenty-fifth day of February two thousand twenty-six, the year of the Commonwealth the two hundred fiftieth. Governor Josh Shapiro

Governor Josh Shapiro has issued a proclamation for March to be Brain Injury Awareness Month in Pennsylvania.

The Proclamation states:

“WHEREAS, brain injuries can range in severity — traumatic and non-traumatic, mild or moderate, and sometimes even go undiagnosed and untreated; and

WHEREAS, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injuries result in impairment of cognitive abilities, physical functioning, or behavioral or emotional wellbeing; and

WHEREAS, more than 543,000 children and adults in Pennsylvania are living with a disability because of a traumatic brain injury; and

WHEREAS, each year, approximately 17,000 Pennsylvania children sustain a traumatic brain injury; and

WHEREAS, approximately one fourth of infants diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome die as a result of direct brain injuries and survivors of shaken baby syndrome suffer permanent neurological damage; and

WHEREAS, more than 185,000 veterans have been diagnosed with at least one traumatic brain injury; and

WHEREAS, approximately 50% of individuals receiving treatment for substance use have a history of at least one brain injury; and

WHEREAS, individuals who sustain a brain injury require extensive support by providers and caregivers with a thorough understanding of brain injuries and their related issues so that those affected may live an independent lifestyle and meet their life-long goals; and

WHEREAS, the Pennsylvania Department of Health in cooperation with various partners and stakeholders within the brain injury community, are committed to enhancing the lives of those living with brain injuries by providing rehabilitation, education, awareness, and advocacy.

THEREFORE, I, Josh Shapiro, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do hereby proclaim March 2026 to be

BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH

and I encourage all Pennsylvanians to recognize the value and importance of brain injury prevention and awareness.

GIVEN under my hand and the Seal of the Governor, at the City of Harrisburg, on this twenty-fifth day of February two thousand twenty-six, the year of the Commonwealth the two hundred fiftieth.

Governor Josh Shapiro

The Council’s Executive Director Lisa Tesler is a member of The Brain Injury (BI) Advisory Board. The Board provides guidance and expertise to the Pennsylvania Department of Health to help identify the service and support needs of individuals living with brain injury and their families. The Board also advises on how services are delivered and implemented across the state.

In addition, the Board makes recommendations for future priorities to be included in the Brain Injury State Action Plan, with the goal of improving access to brain injury services in Pennsylvania through greater awareness, information, and education.