U.S. Pain is so proud of everything we have accomplished so far, and it's only March! We have hosted several successful events including a Take Control of Your Pain event in Palm Springs, CA and the Points for Pain event. We have also been part of several more events, including several of our ambassadors testifying nationally and in their states, which we are extremely grateful for.

We would like to thank Tyler Cashman for starting the Points for Pain campaign to raise awareness and money pediatric pain. Tyler is the son of our Executive Director, Casey Cashman, who has lived with chronic pain since 2008. He has met many kids in pain and decided he wanted to make a difference, and empower these  individuals on their pain journey. Tyler's campaign has raised over $9,828 (so far!), which will all go to sending children in pain to a Pediatric Pain Camp this summer. We are so grateful to Tyler for his work and couldn't be more proud of his initiative and ability to make a difference in the lives of so many. 

We would also like to thank Joseph D'Angelo of New Jersey for organizing a tag day ay Oratory Preparatory School of Summit, New Jersey. The Day not only raised awareness to those living with chronic pain, but for helping raise more than $1,200. Thank you, Joe for all you did to make this happen. 

It is people like Joe and Tyler that remind us how important our mission is, and remind us we can meet our goals and truly make a difference.

U.S. Pain is busy this month, so please be on the look out for more events and opportunities to get involved, including planning ahead for our Pain Awareness Month! Read below to find out more.

 

Thank you for being a part of our mission - to improve the lives of those living with pain by validating chronic medical conditions and educating others. You are all pain warriors, and U.S. Pain is here to help.

 

Wishing you all a low-pain and high-spirits day,

Paul Gileno

            Founder & President, U.S. Pain Foundation

Cindy Steinberg is National Director of Policy and Advocacy at the U.S. Pain Foundation and Chair of the Policy Council of the Massachusetts Pain Initiative. In April, 2015, she was appointed to the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC), the highest ranking pain policy oversight committee in the US. In addition to her federal and state pain policy work, she has lived with chronic pain for many years and runs a support group in the Boston area for others with chronic pain. Steinberg spoke recently with Neil Andrews, Executive Editor of RELIEF, to discuss her own experience with chronic pain, her advocacy efforts to advance pain care and research, and what people can do to get involved to help raise awareness of chronic pain. Below is an edited transcript of their conversation. 

What is your own personal experience with chronic pain?

I had a business career that I loved managing the development of multimedia technology-based learning systems. I was working in the office one day and there were moving men present who were dismantling cubicles, since my company was moving to a new office. I went to retrieve a file from my filing cabinet, and unbeknownst to me, the movers had been placing cubicle walls against the back of my file cabinet. The file cabinet was very large, and I couldn't see that the cubicle walls were resting on it. I went to open a drawer, and all of a sudden the file cabinet started coming at me. I turned to get away, but I wasn't quick enough. The drawer struck me in the middle of my back, and then I was crushed underneath the cabinet and the walls, which severely damaged my back. This happened more than 15 years ago, and the result is that I'm living with pretty serious pain-there hasn't been a day that's gone by since the accident without pain.

ABOUT THE BILL: SB 41 would place limits on an insurance industry protocol known as step therapy, which can require patients to try and fail on a series of medications before being allowed to have a medication their doctor has prescribed.

Connecticut Pain Ambassador Emily Lemiska was joined by Senior State Advocate Wendy Foster and Director of State Advocacy Shaina Smith towards the end of February to testify before the Public Health Committee on SB 129, An Act Concerning Insurance Coverage for Abuse-Deterrent Opioid Analgesics. The testimony presented included the perspective of a pain patient and the need to balance access to treatment from legitimate pain patients as well as educating and making the community aware of abuse addiction.

  

U.S. Pain Foundation submitted a letter to the Kentucky Chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee as well as its members, requesting that the committee support Senate Bill 134, an Act relating to biological products. Introduced by Senator Ralph Alvarado, the legislation defines biological products, but more importantly, ensures beneficial communications to take place between the pharmacist and prescriber.

Michigan's Senate Health Policy Committee Chair and members were given a letter from the organization, noting that it opposes the Senate Substitute for House Bill 4812. U.S. Pain is urging the committee to support HB 4812 with prescriber communication language included. The bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole with a substitute.

 

House Bill 18 in Utah is legislation that the organization is tracking and opposes, as it could prove detrimental to those patients who rely on their life saving medication. U.S. Pain is concerned with HB 18 as it revokes the Medicaid Preferred Drug List (PDL) exemption for psychotropic drug classes which includes anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, anti-conversant/mood stabilizers and other remedies used to treat patients from all walks of life. The house has passed the legislation and it has been referred to the Senate.

Ohio saw advocates participate in a day intended to further highlight the need for step therapy legislation as a grassroots effort, spearheaded by the Ohio Step Therapy Coalition of which U.S. Pain is a member, met with legislators to discuss Senate Bill 243 and the newly introduced companion bill, House Bill 443. Senate Bill 243 does not prohibit step therapy, but sets up conditions for it's use. Such conditions include that insurers have a clear and quick process for physicians to request an override to step therapy and that step therapy decisions be based on medical guidelines developed by independent experts. Although Ohio Pain Ambassadors and Advocates have been staying updated as to these efforts, we are looking to further expand our outreach to the media and would like to gather patient stories from Ohio concerning Step therapy. If you have a step therapy story, please email: [email protected]