Embedded Files
Support Needed — The Brent Bill: Brain Health Screening and Safety Act
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 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 brain trauma, neurological, vascular, or inflammatory. Brent underwent extensive testing and treatment, yet no provider screened him for brain injury — a condition 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 and evidence-based mental health treatment
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 supporting the bill.
What the Bill Does
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
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
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. His condition was only discovered after his death.
High‑Risk Populations
High‑Risk Populations
Law enforcement
First responders
Veterans & military
Athletes (youth, collegiate, professional)
Domestic violence survivors
Abused children
Key Statistics
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
Public Safety Impact
Untreated brain injury can impair:
Untreated brain injury can impair:
Judgment
Impulse control
Behavioral regulation
Early detection reduces:
Suicide
Behavioral emergencies
Crisis‑driven law‑enforcement encounters
What the Bill Creates
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
Page updated
Report abuse