Coalition

Support Needed — The Brent Bill: Brain Health Screening and Safety Act

We invite your organization to join a statewide coalition supporting the Brent Bill: Brain Health Screening and Safety Act. This legislation is named for Officer Brent Simpson who died by suicide in 2024 after an undiagnosed brain injury caused profound behavioral and cognitive changes.

Brent’s case revealed a critical gap in our system: individuals with sudden behavioral change are often evaluated only for psychiatric causes, even when the underlying issue is neurological, vascular, or inflammatory. Brent underwent extensive testing and treatment, yet no provider screened him for brain injury or neurological disease — conditions later confirmed on autopsy.

Brent’s case is not isolated. Research shows:

• Up to 75% of domestic‑violence survivors have sustained a brain injury.

• 20% of high‑school athletes in contact sports sustain a concussion each year.

• Over 450,000 service members have been diagnosed with BI since 2000.

• 40–60% of incarcerated individuals have a history of BI.

The Brent Bill creates a tiered screening framework to ensure that individuals in high‑risk populations — including law enforcement, first responders, veterans, athletes, domestic‑violence survivors, and abused children — receive appropriate brain and neurological evaluation.

We are building a broad, bipartisan coalition that includes:

• Law enforcement

• First responders

• Veterans’ organizations

• Domestic‑violence and child‑advocacy groups

• Brain‑injury and mental‑health organizations

• Medical professionals

• Community safety advocates

This bill strengthens:

• Public safety

• Suicide prevention

• Diagnostic accuracy

• Support for law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and survivors

• Behavioral‑health and medical integration

We hope your organization will join us in supporting this life‑saving legislation.

With appreciation,

Gina (Brent’s wife)

Contact Gina with your interest in joining us.

View the proposed Bill.

Visit the Brent Bill page.

What the Bill Does

Creates a statewide, tiered screening framework to ensure that individuals with sudden behavioral or cognitive changes receive appropriate neurological evaluation — especially those in high‑risk populations.

Goal

Prevent tragedies like Brent’s by ensuring neurological causes of sudden behavioral change are identified early — protecting individuals, families, and communities.

Why It’s Needed

Officer Brent Simpson experienced sudden behavioral and cognitive decline. He underwent Multiple MRIs, extensive bloodwork, EMDR, EEG, EKG and months of inpatient treatment. Yet no provider screened him for brain injury or neurological conditions. These conditions were only discovered after his death.

High‑Risk Populations

• Law enforcement

• First responders

• Veterans & military

• Athletes (youth, collegiate, professional)

• Domestic‑violence survivors

• Abused children

Key Statistics

• 75% of domestic‑violence survivors have sustained a brain injury

• 20% of high‑school athletes in contact sports sustain a concussion annually

• 450,000+ service members diagnosed with BI since 2000

• 40–60% of incarcerated individuals have a history of BI

• 2.1 million North Carolinians live with a disability — many related to neurological or cognitive conditions

Public Safety Impact

Untreated neurological disease can impair:

• Judgment

• Impulse control

• Behavioral regulation

Early detection reduces:

• Suicide

• Behavioral emergencies

• Crisis‑driven law‑enforcement encounters

What the Bill Creates

Tier 1: Screening: BI tool, head‑injury history, neurocognitive check

Tier 2: Clinical evaluation: Neurology, neuropsychology, physiatry

Tier 3: Diagnostics (when indicated): MRI, CT, PET, vascular imaging, labs