Policy to mandate head injury evaluations
March 11th, 2010
Defense Department officials said they expect to launch a new policy in the coming months that will make head-injury evaluations mandatory for all servicemembers who may have concussions.
The current guidelines for treating servicemembers with such injuries allows for them to come forward on their own, said a senior official with the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Under the new policy, every servicemember exposed to such an incident will be required to seek attention. Troops will be required to rest and will be excluded from their unit's mission cycle for at least 24 hours, said Kathy Helmick, the senior director for traumatic brain injury at the center.
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The current guidelines for treating servicemembers with such injuries allows for them to come forward on their own, said a senior official with the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Under the new policy, every servicemember exposed to such an incident will be required to seek attention. Troops will be required to rest and will be excluded from their unit's mission cycle for at least 24 hours, said Kathy Helmick, the senior director for traumatic brain injury at the center.
more...