Brain Injury Awareness Month

Press Release for Brain Injury Awareness Month

June 1, 2026

One of Ontario’s Most Overlooked Health Issues Is Getting a Flag This June

TORONTO, ON, CA – For one Ontario family, everything changed when their two-year-old son was struck by a car and sustained a severe, life-altering brain injury.

His mother cared for him for nearly three decades, navigating a system that often did not fully recognize or understand what brain injury meant for his daily life. Through that journey, she saw how easily people living with brain injury are misunderstood, overlooked, or not taken seriously.

After her son’s passing, she chose to turn that experience into action.

Working with the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) and community brain injury associations across the province, she supported a provincial effort to raise flags during Brain Injury Awareness Month, so that brain injury would be more widely recognized and understood.

This June, that vision is being carried forward.

Across Ontario, flags will be raised in communities large and small to call attention to one of the most overlooked health issues.

More than half a million Ontarians are living with the effects of brain injury, and over 170,000 people sustain a concussion each year. Yet it remains widely misunderstood.

“In many ways, brain injury is invisible,” says Ruth Wilcock, Chief Executive Officer of OBIA. “As a result, its impact is often misunderstood. People may look fine, yet struggle every day with memory, fatigue, changes in mood and behaviour, and the ability to work or participate fully in life.”

That lack of recognition has real consequences.

When brain injury is not identified or understood, people often do not receive the care, accommodations, or support they need. Many struggle to maintain employment, relationships, and housing. Some fall into poverty. Others experience homelessness or become involved in the justice system, without anyone recognizing that a brain injury may be a contributing factor.

“Awareness has improved, particularly around concussion, but understanding has not kept pace,” Wilcock adds. “Too many people are still left without answers, without support, and without a clear path forward.”

The flag-raising initiative is intended to change that by creating visibility, prompting conversation, and encouraging communities across Ontario to better recognize and respond to brain injury.

The goal is simple, but important: to ensure that people living with a brain injury are seen, understood, and supported.

“Awareness matters because it shapes how people respond,” says Wilcock. “When brain injury is better understood, people are more likely to receive the support, patience, and care they need, and less likely to fall through the cracks.”

Throughout June, OBIA and its partners will continue to encourage municipalities and organizations to take part in the flag-raising initiative and to recognize Brain Injury Awareness Month.

Media Contact:

Ontario Brain Injury Association
Ruth Wilcock, CEO
Phone: 905-641-8877
Email: rwilcock@obia.on.ca
Website: obia.ca

Be Part of the Movement — Fly the Virtual Brain Injury Flag!

This June, Brain Injury Awareness flags will be raised at city halls, municipalities, and community locations across Ontario.

You can be part of the movement by flying a virtual flag online!

Update your social media profile photo, LinkedIn profile, virtual background, or email signature throughout June to show your support for individuals and families living with brain injury.

Every virtual flag helps increase visibility, spark conversations, and show support for individuals and families living with brain injury.

To make participation easy, we’ve created a digital toolkit with downloadable graphics and step-by-step instructions to help you update your platforms and “fly the flag” online: Download the How to Fly the Flag Online Guide.

Digital Resources

Email Signature Banner

Download Here

Virtual Background for Zoom and Microsoft Teams

Download Here

Social Media Profile Photo or Badge

Download Here

Non-Fatal Overdose & Brain Injury #BIAM2025

Most people know that opioid overdoses can be fatal — but did you know that surviving an overdose can also cause lasting harm?

Even when a life is saved, the brain may suffer from oxygen deprivation, leading to traumatic injuries. These injuries can affect memory, speech, movement, and emotional regulation.

They’re often invisible — but their impact is life-altering.

#BIAM2025 #BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth #OBIACanHelp #OpioidCrisis

Professionals in healthcare, addictions, shelters & mental health: Are you trained to recognize the signs of overdose-related brain injury? Thousands of Canadians are surviving overdoses – but with undiagnosed, life-altering cognitive impacts.

OBIA is advocating for routine screening, trauma-informed care, and professional training to close this critical gap. Support the life after overdose.

#BIAM2025 #BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth #OBIACanHelp #OpioidCrisis

Research suggests that for every one fatality due to overdose, there are approximately 15 non-fatal overdoses¹, many resulting in hypoxic or anoxic brain injuries.
These injuries often go undiagnosed and unsupported, leaving survivors to struggle with memory loss, emotional regulation, and attention.

The Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) is calling for:
✅ Routine brain injury screening after overdose
✅ Training for frontline workers
✅ Accessible, trauma-informed support

Saving a life is just the beginning. Let’s support the life that continues.

#BIAM2025 #BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth #OBIACanHelp #OpioidCrisis

Casillas, S. M., Pickens, C. M., Tanz, L. J., & Vivolo-Kantor, A. M. (2024). Estimating the ratio of fatal to non-fatal overdoses involving all drugs, all opioids, synthetic opioids, heroin or stimulants, USA, 2010-2020. Injury prevention : Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, 30(2), 114–124. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-045091

They survived the overdose.
But now, they’re struggling to remember things.
To focus.
To regulate emotions.

What happened?
Brain injury caused by lack of oxygen during the overdose — a consequence that’s often overlooked.

OBIA is raising awareness this Brain Injury Awareness Month and calling for:
✅Routine screening
✅Professional training
✅Trauma-informed, accessible support

The crisis is clear. The injury is not.
Let’s connect the dots.

#BIAM2025 #BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth #OBIACanHelp #OpioidCrisis

Watch Your Step: Falls Can Happen Anytime, Anywhere to Anyone! Social Media Posts #BIAM2024

Did you know?

Falls are a leading cause of traumatic brain injury in Canada!

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Did you know?

In children, aged 0-4 years, approximately 70% of mild traumatic brain injuries are caused by falls.

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Did you know?

Falls are the primary cause of traumatic brain injury among seniors (65+).

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Did you know?

The most common cause of hospitalization for head injuries are falls.

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Did you know?

1 in 3 falls result in a head impact, which may cause a traumatic brain injury.

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Did you know?

About 1 in 4 patients with concussion symptoms from a fall are misdiagnosed in the Emergency Department.

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Full page flyer - Watch your step

You can download the full page infographic flyer to print here.

Download Flyer

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

Watch your step - BIAM 2024

You can download this Brain Injury Awareness Month flyer here.

Download Flyer

#BIAM2024
#BrainInjuryAwarenessMonth
#OBIACanHelp

In an Instant – Social Media Posts #BIAM2023

Did you know?

The leading causes of anoxic brain injury are oxygen deprivation at birth, stroke, strangulation, choking, drowning, drug overdose, allergic reactions, and sudden blows to the windpipe.