Disparities in treatment for children with traumatic brain injuries

Children who suffer traumatic brain injuries can face a difficult road to recovery, requiring services such as physical therapy and mental health treatment for months or years to get their young lives back on track. When those children come from low-income households with limited English proficiency, there can be significant barriers in getting them the care they need. A recent University of Washington found that less than 20 percent of rehabilitation providers in the state accepted Medicaid and also provided language interpretation to children with traumatic brain injuries. Just 8 percent provided mental health services to those children, and Spanish-speaking families had to travel significantly further to access services. The findings highlight how already disadvantaged children are further impacted by limited access to the rehabilitation services that vastly improve long-term outcomes, said lead author . "Rehabilitation after a brain injury is incredibly important, especially for kids with moderate to severe brain injuries," Moore said. "Ultimately, that limited availability is going to impact children's outcomes." For the study, published in the in March, the researchers compiled a database of 293 health providers around Washington offering physical and occupational therapy; speech, language and cognitive therapy; and mental health services.