LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles jury on Tuesday rejected a claim by the widow of a former USC player who said the NCAA failed to protect him from repeated head trauma that led to his death.
Matthew Gee, a linebacker on the 1990 Rose Bowl-winning squad, endured an estimated 6,000 hits that caused permanent brain damage and led to cocaine and alcohol abuse that eventually killed him at age 49, lawyers for his widow alleged.
The NCAA said it had nothing to do with Gee’s death, which it said was a sudden cardiac arrest brought on by untreated hypertension and acute cocaine toxicity. A lawyer for the governing body of U.S. college sports said Gee suffered from many other health problems not related to , such as liver cirrhosis, that would have eventually killed him.
The verdict could have broad ramifications for college athletes who blame the NCAA for head injuries.
Hundreds of wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits have been brought by college players against the NCAA in the past decade, but Gee’s is the first one to reach a jury alleging that hits to the head led to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease known by its acronym, CTE.
Alana Gee said the college sweethearts had 20 good years of marriage before her husband’s mental health began to deteriorate and he became angry, depressed and impulsive, and began overeating and abusing drugs and alcohol.
Attorneys for Gee said CTE, which is found in athletes and military veterans who suffered repetitive brain injuries, was an indirect cause of death because head trauma has been shown to promote substance abuse.
The NCAA said the case hinged on what it knew at the time Gee played, from 1988-92, and not about CTE, which was first discovered in the brain of a deceased NFL player in 2005.
Gee never reported having a concussion and said in an application to play with the Raiders after graduating that he had never been knocked unconscious, NCAA attorney Will Stute said.
“You can’t hold the NCAA responsible for something 40 years later that nobody ever reported,” Stute said in his closing argument. “The plaintiffs want you in a time travel machine. We don’t have one … at the NCAA. It’s not fair.”
Attorneys for Gee’s family said there was no doubt that Matt Gee suffered concussions and countless sub-concussive blows.
Mike Salmon, a teammate who went on to play in the NFL, testified that Gee, who was team captain his senior year, once was so dazed from a hit that he couldn’t call the next play.
Gee was one of five linebackers on the 1989 Trojans squad who died before turning 50. All displayed signs of mental deterioration associated with head trauma.
As with teammate and NFL star Junior Seau, who killed himself in 2012, Gee’s brain was examined posthumously at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center and found to have CTE.
Jurors were not allowed to hear testimony about Gee’s deceased teammates.
Gee’s lawyers said the NCAA, which was founded in 1906 for athlete safety, had known about impacts from head injuries since the 1930s but failed to educate players, ban headfirst contact, or implement baseline testing for concussion symptoms.
Attorneys had asked jurors to award Alana Gee $55 million to compensate for her loss.
Newswise — New Orleans, LA – A study led by Christopher Marrero, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports that the net loss for treating acute firearm injuries at one Level I Trauma Center was $20.3 million over a four-year period. The results are published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, available here.
“Firearm injuries continue to plague the US as a serious public health problem, causing preventable death, illness, and disability,” notes Dr. Marrero. “They also continue to result in a major economic burden.”
The research team conducted a retrospective study of patients with acute gunshot wounds admitted to the LSU Health New Orleans Affiliate Level 1 Trauma Center, University Medical Center New Orleans, from January 2016 to December 2019. A total of 2,094 patients met the criteria of acute firearm injury and were included in the analysis. Injuries included those caused by accidents, intentional self-harm, assault, legal intervention, and undetermined causes.
The researchers tabulated the estimated costs and losses using the hospital cost-to-charge ratio. The estimated cost associated with treatment was $37,602,667. The total payment collected by the hospital was $17,293,655, resulting in a net loss of $20,309,012 over the four years.
“When victims of firearm-related injuries are unable to pay their medical expenses, the hospitals write off unpaid medical bills as medical losses,” Dr. Marrero explains. “In this study, Medicaid dominated the payer makeup. This can also result in losses because Medicaid reimbursement does not fully cover costs. Per the American Hospital Association, Medicaid paid hospitals, on average, 90 cents for every dollar spent by hospitals caring for Medicaid patients in 2019. Because taxpayers fund Medicaid as well as Medicare, they bear the economic burden of these firearm injuries.”
The authors observe that nonfatal firearm injuries are highest in the South, and Louisiana leads the US in the nonfatal firearm injury rate.
They stress that when examining the financial impact of gun violence, it is important to also consider the costs associated with nonacute care such as follow-up visits, rehabilitation, secondary outpatient surgeries, home health, and durable medical equipment, which increase the total cost exponentially. The authors also point out economic burdens to society beyond medical expenses, including criminal justice expenditures, employer and work-loss costs, as well as intangible losses, such as diminished quality of life.
Newswise — Trauma can cause dissociative symptoms—such as having an out-of-body experience, or feeling emotionally numb—that may help an individual cope in the short term but can have negative impacts if the symptoms persist for a long period of time.
In a new study recently published in Neuropsychopharmacology, a team led by investigators at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a member of Mass General Brigham, has identified regions within brain networks that communicate with each other when people experience different types of dissociative symptoms.
“Dissociation and severe dissociative disorders like dissociative identity disorder or ‘DID’ remain at best underappreciated and, at worst, frequently go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed,” said co-lead author Lauren A.M. Lebois, PhD, director of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program.
“The cost of this stigmatization and misdiagnosis is high—it has prevented people from accessing appropriate and effective treatment, caused prolonged suffering, and stunted research on dissociation. In addition, given that DID disproportionately affects women, gender disparity is an important issue in this context.”
Lebois and her colleagues’ study included 91 women with and without histories of childhood trauma, current post-traumatic stress disorder, and with varied levels of dissociative symptoms. Participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan so that investigators could gain insight into their brain activity.
“The novel methods we used to study brain connectivity are critical for understanding the role these network disturbances play in dissociative disorders,” said co-senior author Lisa D. Nickerson, PhD, director of the Applied Neuroimaging Statistics Lab at McLean Hospital.
The scientists found that different dissociative symptoms were uniquely associated with connections of areas in brain networks that are responsible for cognition and emotion processes. “We found that dissociation common to post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation central to DID are each linked to unique brain signatures,” said Lebois.
The team hopes that a better understanding of the brain correlates of dissociation will help to rectify historical misunderstanding about dissociation and DID, destigmatize these experiences, and contribute to reducing gender-related health disparities.
“We also hope it will increase awareness of dissociative symptoms—and that, ultimately, clinicians will be more likely to assess for and consider these symptoms, and to connect patients with timely and appropriate treatment,” said co–senior author Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, director of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program.
It is important to note the unique brain signatures of different dissociative symptoms may point to new therapies, the study authors said. “In the future, we could target brain activity related to dissociation as a treatment in and of itself,” said co-author Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer for McLean.
Funding source: This research was supported by the Julia Kasparian Fund for Neuroscience Research (LAML, CP, MLK) and the National Institute of Mental Health K01MH118467 (LAML), R21MH112956 (MLK), and R01MH119227 (MLK). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
ABOUT MCLEAN: McLean Hospital has a continuous commitment to put people first in patient care, innovation and discovery, and shared knowledge related to mental health. It is consistently named the #1 freestanding psychiatric hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and is #1 in America for psychiatric care in 2022-23. McLean Hospital is the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a member of Mass General Brigham. To stay up to date on McLean, follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the death sentence Wednesday for an inmate who argued her attorneys didn’t properly raise in her defense trauma she experienced, including gender dysphoria.
The court ruled 6-1 to uphold Victoria Drain’s conviction and death sentence in the 2019 beating death of Christopher Richardson, a fellow inmate in the residential treatment unit at Warren Correctional Institution in southwestern Ohio.
Drain attempted to enlist Richardson in a plot to kill an inmate Drain believed was a convicted child molester, court records show. When Richardson backed out, Drain killed him to keep him from exposing her plan, records show.
Drain killed Richardson by beating, stabbing and strangling him, according to court records.
Drain had been placed on the unit, which provides inmate psychiatric services, “due to her attempt to self-castrate because she is transgender,” Drain’s attorneys said in a court filing in March 2021.
At the time of the slaying, Drain was serving a 38-year sentence for stabbing and strangling a man to death in Hancock County in 2016.
An attorney for Drain, whose execution has not been scheduled, promised a comment later Wednesday.
In their Supreme Court filing, Drain’s attorneys presented evidence of self-harm dating to childhood because of gender dysphoria, or the distress felt when someone’s gender expression does not match their gender identity. Attorneys describe Drain as a transwoman in court documents.
Warren County prosecutors argued that Drain had “persistently rebuffed” any efforts by her attorneys to present evidence to the three-judge panel weighing her sentence that would have benefited her case. In January 2020, Drain wrote a letter explaining she didn’t want the evidence on her behalf used, prosecutors said.
Drain’s attorneys on her appeal countered that her original lawyers didn’t investigate the connection between her gender dysphoria and her mental health and acts of self-harm.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court placed more weight on Drain’s refusal to allow evidence presented on her behalf.
Justice Sharon Kennedy, writing for the majority, noted that Drain insisted, against her attorneys’ advice, on pleading no contest and made clear she didn’t want 1,900 pages gathered by her attorneys about her life presented to the court.
“Rather, the record shows Drain’s longstanding determination to plead no contest and to have the proceedings over as quickly as possible,” Kennedy wrote.
Justice Jennifer Brunner, the lone dissenting vote, said Drain’s refusal to allow evidence presented on her behalf related mainly to reluctance to present details of a dysfunctional childhood or testimony from Drain’s daughter.
There was significant other evidence available to Drain’s attorneys, Brunner said, “including evidence concerning her gender dysphoria, her mental-health issues and diagnosed disorders, her history of substance abuse, her medical history and the effect that it has had on her mental health and decision-making, and her time spent in juvenile facilities and other facilities.”
Newswise — Patients who have surgery to repair bone fractures typically receive a type of injectable blood thinner, low-molecular-weight heparin, to prevent life-threatening blood clots, but a new clinical trial found that over-the-counter aspirin is just as effective. The findings, presented today at the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) annual meeting in Tampa, FL, could cause surgeons to change their practice and administer aspirin instead to these patients.
The multi-center randomized clinical trial of more than 12,000 patients at 21 trauma centers in the U.S. and Canada, is the largest-ever trial in orthopedic trauma patients. The trial was co-led by the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC) based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“We expect our findings from this large-scale trial to have an important impact on clinical practice, and potentially even change the standard of care,” said the study’s principal investigator Robert V. O’Toole, MD, the Hansjörg Wyss Medical Foundation Endowed Professor in Orthopaedic Trauma at UMSOM and head of the school’s Division of Orthopaedic Traumatology. “Orthopaedic trauma patients are commonly prescribed the blood thinner low-molecular-weight heparin to prevent blood clots for weeks following surgery. Not only does the medication need to be injected, it can also be quite expensive compared to aspirin.”
Blood clots cause as many as 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Patients who experience fractures that require surgery – an estimated 1 million people in the U.S. annually – are at increased risk of developing blood clots in the veins, including a fatal pulmonary embolism, which is a clot in the lung. Current guidelines recommend prescribing low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin), although research in total joint replacement surgery suggested a potential benefit of aspirin as a less-expensive, widely available option.
Dr. O’Toole, who is also Chief of Orthopaedics at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), presented the results of the landmark clinical trial at the OTA annual meeting. The $12 million study was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), (PCS-1511-32745), an independent, nonprofit organization that finances research to help patients and clinicians make better-informed healthcare decisions.
The study enrolled 12,211 patients with leg or arm fractures that necessitated surgery or pelvic fractures regardless of the specific treatment. Half were randomly assigned to receive 30 mg of injectable low-molecular-weight heparin twice daily. The other half received 81 mg of aspirin twice daily. The follow-up period after surgery was 90 days.
The main finding of the study was that aspirin was “noninferior,” or no worse, than low-molecular-weight heparin in preventing death from any cause – 47 patients in the aspirin group died compared with 45 patients in the heparin group. Secondary outcomes noted no differences in non-fatal pulmonary embolism. The incidence of bleeding complications and all other safety outcomes was similar in both groups. Of all the outcomes studied, the one potential difference noted was fewer blood clots in the legs in the low-molecular-weight heparin group. This relatively small difference was driven by clots lower in the leg, which are of unclear clinical importance.
“With data from more than 12,000 patients, this study provides clear evidence that aspirin is a viable option for preventing blood clots in the lung and death in patients who require surgery for orthopaedic trauma,” said Andrew Pollak, MD, the James Lawrence Kernan Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopedics at UMSOM and Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for the 11-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS).
The trial was called PREVENTion of CLots in Orthopaedic Trauma, or PREVENT CLOT. Patients enrolled in the trial were treated at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at UMMC and 20 other trauma centers in 15 other states and two in Canada. Recruitment started in April 2017 and continued through 2021. Deborah Stein, MD, MPH, Professor of Surgery at UMSOM and Director of Adult Critical Care Services at UMMC, and Renan Castillo, PhD, an Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, are co-principal investigators.
“This exciting trial, the largest ever conducted in orthopedic trauma patients, provides important guidance to surgeons in helping to prevent potentially fatal blood clots after fracture surgery by using a medication that is both inexpensive and easy to administer,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world — with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic, and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile), is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent (#27) of all 192public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu
5 Week Intensive Online Program to Help With Relief From PTSD, Anxiety and Stress for Those Who’ve Experienced Trauma
Press Release –
Sep 29, 2022
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., September 29, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– Purple Heart Behavioral Health LLC, a premier telepsychology trauma service, announced today an innovative program for PTSD, Anxiety and Stress treatment. The program is a 5-week intensive online program that includes various treatments that have scientific empirical evidence to be effective in treating PTSD, anxiety and stress.
This innovative new online program offers treatments that have been scientifically shown to be effective in helping people overcome these difficulties. Clinically proven treatments delivered conveniently through telepsychology services bridges rural/urban gaps where resources are sparsely available making quality care accessible to those who need it most regardless of geographical limitations. A compassionate response addressing needs unmet until now.
These therapies include Eye Movement Desensitization Processing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Program participants are treated in both individual and group sessions via HIPAA compliant video. Additional psychoeducational videos augment treatment to ensure participants have an opportunity to deeply learn skills and methods taught and used during the program.
Participants may receive treatment in 31 US states from the comfort of their home, office or hotel with a laptop or tablet. Meeting online prevents obstacles such as driving in traffic, home responsibilities, and confidentiality. Research indicates similar efficacy for face to face and video therapy.
To date, the Founder of Purple Heart Behavioral Health LLC has guided 100s of people to include military members, Veterans, and civilians through their healing journey. This program will allow more people to gain healing quicker than traditional therapy. Each week builds upon the next with participants attaining new skills, releasing maladaptive behaviors, and gaining functioning all while processing traumatic events that may have caused the symptoms.
“It is with great happiness and genuine excitement that we announce the launch of Purple Heart’s online intensive program,” said Dr. Angela Kenzslowe, Psychologist and founder of Purple Heart Behavioral Health LLC. “Our mission is to help people get back in the fight of life faster. This is innovative, on cutting edge, and definitely needed.”
Says Dr. Kenzslowe: “PTSD and anxiety has become such a crisis in our country, we need to have ways to reach the most people in the quickest way possible. This online program is part of the solution.”
About:
Purple Heart Behavioral Health LLC was founded by Dr. Angela Kenzslowe in 2016. She is an Army Veteran and was later trained by the Department of Defense to treat trauma, anxiety, stress, and other mental health challenges. The company’s focus is to provide ethical, evidence-based treatment to those who suffer from PTSD, anxiety and stress while enabling patients to be in their most comfortable space such as home or office.
For more information about Purple Heart Behavioral Health LLC, please visit www.purpleheartbh.com
“The CordicoFire App puts a wealth of information and – most importantly – personal help at our firefighters’ fingertips to keep them mentally healthy,” said Fire Chief Kris Concepcion.
Research reveals that firefighters experience elevated rates of depression, alcohol problems and repeated exposure to traumatic events resulting in sleep disorders, avoidance behaviors, and feelings of helplessness associated with PTSD. Additional symptoms of repeated traumatic exposure for firefighters include desensitization, irritability, cynicism and intrusive flashbacks. Studies also reveal that first responders often avoid seeking help for emotional problems and the majority who reach out for Employee Assistance Program support find it unhelpful.
Fire departments nationwide are looking for a strategic solution to strengthen firefighter wellness. Dixon Fire Chief Greg Lewis has achieved great success by providing his firefighters with a CordicoFire Wellness App. “The issue of mental wellness in public safety has been in a closet or ignored for far too many years,” said Chief Lewis. “By providing complete anonymity, 24/7 access, the ‘Wellness Tool Kit’ and self-assessment capabilities all from a personalized application right from a mobile phone, a large gap in the mental wellness issue has been addressed. Our staff is very grateful the City has given them this tool that can be used at any time by both the employee and their spouse.”
“We needed a proactive solution for firefighters everywhere,” said Dr. David Black, the CEO of Cordico. “Firefighters need 24/7 access to comprehensive and trusted wellness tools to manage the extreme stressors and demands they face. Our CordicoFire Apps give them powerful, on-demand tools targeting critical incidents, depression, insomnia, marital problems, trauma, suicide risk, and much more. We customize the app for departments of all sizes.”
Vacaville Fire Chief Kris Concepcion, who also provided his department with a CordicoFire Wellness App, said, “The Cordico app has been a game-changer for our fire department … I have received numerous personal ‘thank-yous’ from our firefighters since contracting with Cordico.”
Billy Goldfeder, the former Chair of the IAFC’s Safety, Health and Survival Section, has also spoken out about Cordico’s high-tech solution to strengthen firefighter wellness. “Assuring firefighters and other responders are emotionally prepared to take care of the public, when the public is having the worst day of their lives, is what keeps fire chiefs up at night – this unique and very affordable solution from Cordico benefits the firefighters, the responders, the public, and the community’s leadership. It’s truly a win-win.”
