'There's been nothing done': No brain injury rehab team on P.E.I. yet

The Brain Injury Association of P.E.I. is disappointed the province has not set up a rehab team, despite unanimous support in the legislature to look into establishing one.

The legislature resolution passed in 2010.

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"I really thought that the government was going to buckle down and they were going to do something," said association director Ken Murnaghan.

"Maybe not a lot, but they were going to do something, at least look at it. My faith in government has been diminished. There's been nothing done."

Services offered in other Maritime provinces

Tom Nicholls also thinks there should be more rehabilitation services for people like him who are living with a brain injury on P.E.I.

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Nicholls almost lost his life in a car racing accident four years ago. He would like to see rehab services similar to those offered at clinics in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

"Traumatic brain injuries and concussions are life altering," said Nicholls.

"We need the assistance to help us get back on our feet, and to help us somehow get the help we need to progress, and also to help that we need to re-enter the workforce."

Nicholls has been offered the opportunityto go to the Halifax clinic, however living on a disability pension andthe lingering effects of traumatic brain injury makes travel difficult.

Review underway

In a written statement to CBC News, Health PEI said while there isn't a standalone rehab clinic, there are services available in hospital and in the community for people with brain injuries.

"Health PEI recognizes that there may be opportunities for health care services to work more closely together to leverage resources that can support Islanders suffering from a brain injury," Health PEI said.

Health PEI said brain injury services are part of a current, larger, review of improving access to clinical expertise for Islanders.

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