  |
|
|
Ontario Alliance for Action on Brain Injury
|
|
As reported in the last issue of the ABI Update, the Toronto ABI Network has been working closely with four other organizations — the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, Ontario Association of Community Based Boards for ABI Services, Provincial Acquired Brain Injury Advisory Committee, and Ontario Brain Injury Association — to raise the profile of acquired brain injury. This partnership makes up the Ontario Alliance for Action on Brain Injury. The Alliance is working to increase the awareness of the public and to foster partnerships with government to develop and implement the necessary system frameworks, strategies and supports for those affected by ABI.
Over the summer and fall, members of the Alliance have been working on an advocacy document in response to a meeting earlier this year between the Alliance and the Premier’s Office.
The primary objectives of the document are to:
- Call attention to some of the key contextual issues around ABI, outline the scope of the problem, and demonstrate the impact on clients, families and the respective ministries.
- Build on discussions with representatives from the Premier’s Office and key ministries affected by ABI.
- Provide an action plan for addressing priorities, along with identified solutions.
The Alliance will be submitting the document to the Premier’s office within the next few weeks and will use it as a platform to further engage the government in discussions around life-long services and support for people living with the effects of acquired brain injury.
In addition, members of the Alliance, together with a public relations firm – PR Post – have been on an 8-city tour of the province to enhance awareness of ABI and call attention to identified issues. The tour has included stops in Ottawa, London, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Kitchener-Waterloo, Sudbury, Windsor and Barrie. While in each city, a member from the Alliance, together with an ABI survivor and/or family member, have met with local media.
The tour, media launch and individual media releases together have been highly successful in obtaining media attention across a variety of radio, newspaper and television reports, resulting in:
- 27 articles appearing in daily newspapers,
- 32 published website stories,
- 12 television reports for a total of 22 broadcasts, and
- 23 radio reports for a total of 38 broadcasts.
We are grateful for the support and commitment of the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation who have been instrumental in moving this forward.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Visit the Alliance website to use the online form to send a pre-written letter to your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) about the importance of brain injury awareness. The form is very easy to use. You just enter your postal code and the form will automatically add the name of your MPP. You have the option of changing the letter if you choose but if you choose not to make changes, all you have to do is to press the 'send' button to send a message to your MPP.
Please take a minute and inform your MPP about the importance of understanding more about the effects of acquired brain injury. Visit www.see-us.ca today!
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
| |
