Dear pain warriors,
As many of you know, 2018 was a
challenging year for U.S. Pain Foundation. In
spite of the obstacles, it was still a year full of progress and growth for the organization.
I wanted to take a moment to look back over the last 12 months with you.
One of the things people with pain desperately need is to understand they are not alone and that there is
always hope. With that in mind, we held two support group leader training weekends in
Chicago and
Phoenix this spring, and grew
our support group network offerings nationally throughout the year.
It's vitally important people with pain are informed about treatment options and feel empowered to take control of their health. Working toward this goal, we hosted two patient education days
in Boston and Chicago, along with
our first-ever weekend retreat in Disney for children with pain and their families. We also offered 12 educational webinars on topics ranging from
suicide to
meditation.
While most of our focus was on direct patient services, we understand the importance of advocating for people with pain at the state and national policy level. One of our proudest moments came in May, when
two staff members were appointed to major federal committees on pain. At the state level, we took part in numerous coalitions and hosted
two advocacy days to fight for improved access to care.
Everything we accomplished is thanks entirely to our amazing community, especially our donors, volunteers, and staff. Words cannot express how grateful we are to you.
Here's to an even better 2019.
Sincerely,
