BAKERSFIELD, CA - A local facility that has gained international acclaim for its treatment of traumatic brain injuries cut the ribbon Friday on its new home. The Centre for Neuro Skills started in 1980 with three patients and a staff of ten. Today, CNS treats up to 80 patients a year with a staff of more than 300.
The new CNS facility at 5215 Ashe Road is a state-of-the-art, 25-thousand-square-foot treatment center for people suffering from traumatic brain injuries.
"Brain injury is three to four times more common than all diagnoses of cancer every year in this country," said Dr. Mark Ashley, CEO of the Centre for Neuro Skills. "It's something people can recover from, but there's no single surgery or medication. It's intensive therapies, intensive medical interventions that make the brain reorganize and regrow structures. It's not simple. It's not quick. It takes a great deal of time and it's not cheap."
Dr. Ashley has spent the last several years lobbying lawmakers to force the health insurance industry to provide the coverage needed to restore traumatic brain injury victims to productive lives after suffering a catastrophic brain injury.
