Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate there are demographic groups that have higher risks related to traumatic brain injuries.

The first group that the CDC highlights are adults who are 75 or older. This group has the highest rate of hospitalizations and deaths, making up about 32% of all TBI-related hospitalizations and 28% of TBI-related deaths. Falls, a leading cause of TBIs, are the most common injury for individuals who are 65 or older.

Men in Colorado are also twice as likely to sustain a TBI than their female counterparts, and individuals who fall into the 15-24 and 65-plus age groups are at the highest risk in the state, according to Brain Injury Association of Colorado.

People who live in rural areas or don’t have health insurance also face elevated risks of death or long-term health effects due to brain injuries.

These groups are more likely to die from a TBI because rural areas often have less access to emergency medical care and Level 1 trauma centers. These groups also report difficulty getting adequate service and often delay getting TBI-related care, according to the CDC. Since recovering from a TBI requires a wide swath of services, such as physical therapy and mental health treatment, TBI survivors who have lower incomes or who are uninsured may face significant barriers in getting properly treated, according to the CDC report.

When compared to patients who have private health insurance, uninsured patients who have a TBI are less likely to receive a TBI procedure like a craniectomy/craniotomy, are less likely to receive inpatient services and are more likely to die in the hospital.

Both Summit and Grand counties have more than double the rate of people without insurance, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics and data from the Colorado Health Access Survey. While Colorado’s uninsured rate is at 4.6%, both counties have rates around 10%.