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Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act Introduced in House

Advancing Research for Chronic Pain Act Introduced in House

WEST HARTFORD, CONN., JANUARY 31, 2024 -A bipartisan bill introduced today in the House seeks to eliminate gaps in chronic pain care and promote treatment and research advancements for the millions of Americans living with pain. The Advancing Research for Chronic Pain...

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Massachusetts: Action alert

Massachusetts: Action alert

There is an important bill in Massachusetts that we’d like for you to take action on.    Prior authorization can be a cumbersome insurer approval process that can delay or prevent patients from being able to get treatment. Senate Bill SD255...

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Join AfBPM’s pain summit

Join AfBPM’s pain summit

The Alliance for Balanced Pain Management's virtual summit is tomorrow from 11:30 am to 2 pm ET. The event is free and open to all, but you must register in advance. This annual summit brings together patients, providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to...

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Action opportunity: Help us thank key senators

Action opportunity: Help us thank key senators

Recently, the U.S. Senate released all 12 spending bills for fiscal year 2021. The Labor, Health, and Human Services budget report includes at least 13 sections related to pain management! This represents a huge step forward in the national commitment to improving...

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Pain research federal committee meeting update

Pain research federal committee meeting update

Since 2017, Gwenn Herman, LCSW, DCSW, Clinical Director of Pain Connection, has served as a public member/patient advocate on the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC), the highest-ranking permanent pain policy committee in the United States, which...

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U.S. Pain takes part in five-day virtual conference

U.S. Pain takes part in five-day virtual conference

U.S. Pain Foundation was proud to participate in the RetreatMigraine 2020 digital conference, hosted by CHAMP (Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients), Nov. 5 through 9. The agenda was chock-full of special presentations, workshops, and activities geared toward...

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U.S. Pain, AACIPM team up on pain management equity symposium

U.S. Pain, AACIPM team up on pain management equity symposium

In honor of Pain Awareness Month, the U.S. Pain Foundation and the Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (AACIPM) are co-hosting a virtual symposium on equity in pain care on Sept. 24 from 11 am to 3:30 pm ET. The event, "Equity in Access to...

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Advocacy round-up

Advocacy round-up

What better way to honor Pain Awareness Month than taking action at the federal level? Here are a few opportunities to engage this month, along with some advocacy updates. Ways to engage The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting public comments...

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CDC meeting outlines process for updating 2016 guidelines

CDC meeting outlines process for updating 2016 guidelines

On July 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) held a meeting of the Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) to address the topic of pain management. The CDC is preparing to update its...

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U.S. Pain joins CBD coalition

U.S. Pain joins CBD coalition

The U.S. Pain Foundation recently has been participating in the Collaborative for CBD Science & Safety (CCSS), created to provide a forum to exchange information and resources and respond to policies and practices affecting cannabidiol (CBD) research, safety, and...

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Virtual Advocacy Day update

Virtual Advocacy Day update

Last month, the U.S. Pain Foundation rallied a total of 761 pain warriors nationwide to urge Congress to allocate funding for the Pain Management Best Practices Interagency Task Force report, a federal blueprint for improving pain care. Cindy Steinberg, National...

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Read U.S. Pain’s comment to the CDC

Read U.S. Pain’s comment to the CDC

Approximately 5,400 individuals and organizations responded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s call for public comment on acute and chronic pain management and whether the CDC should update and expand its 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids...

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Good news for patients in Lousiana

Good news for patients in Lousiana

U.S. Pain is pleased to share that Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has signed into law House Bill 819, which expands the discretion of physicians so that they can recommend cannabis therapy for “any condition” that they consider “debilitating to an individual...

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Continuing to represent the patient voice–virtually

Continuing to represent the patient voice–virtually

While most in-person conferences and meetings have been canceled or postponed as a result of the pandemic, U.S. Pain Foundation staff were able to participate in three important virtual events recently. IPRCC meeting On June 16, Gwenn Herman, LCSW, DCSW, Clinical...

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#MHAM2020: Two upcoming events, state advocacy campaign

#MHAM2020: Two upcoming events, state advocacy campaign

June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month (#MHAM)! A large percentage of our community lives with migraine and headache diseases, whether as the primary cause of their pain or a comorbidity. Nationwide, headache and migraine diseases affect 47 million Americans....

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Thank you for fighting for change

Thank you for fighting for change

Thank you. You created the groundswell we needed to start getting Congress to pay attention to the "Pain Management Best Practices" report. During our Virtual Advocacy campaign, 595 pain warriors sent 1,944 emails to Congress. 60 pain warriors made 144 calls to...

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Join us as we fight for #aplanforpain!

Join us as we fight for #aplanforpain!

We're dedicating today, June 11, to flooding policymakers with our request that they allocate funding for key recommendations in the "Pain Management Best Practices" report--a roadmap for improving pain care nationwide. At U.S. Pain Foundation, we believe this report...

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Virtual Advocacy Training Series launches

Virtual Advocacy Training Series launches

On May 26, U.S. Pain Foundation launched its first-ever Virtual Advocacy Training Series for its top pain advocates. Typically, the organization hosts advocacy trainings as in-person weekend summits, but because of the COVID-19 situation, it elected to move the event...

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Reminder: CDC docket deadline nearing

Reminder: CDC docket deadline nearing

The June 16 deadline is rapidly approaching for submitting comments to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) official docket on pain. As covered in our May newsletter, the CDC opened this docket on April 17, requesting patients with acute and chronic...

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Federal appropriations requests submitted

Federal appropriations requests submitted

Congress has been hard at work on emergency supplemental appropriations bills in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic hardships confronting the nation. At the same time, they are continuing to work through the regular appropriations...

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Kentucky: Two bills to take action on!

Kentucky: Two bills to take action on!

There are two important pieces of legislation related to chronic pain that we need you to take action on. House Bill 198 HB198 would allow Kentucky pain warriors more affordable access to 20 visits for pain treatments, including many therapies not typically...

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2020 state pain policy trends round-up

2020 state pain policy trends round-up

State legislative sessions across the country are now in full swing! Here are some major trends we’re seeing related to state pain policy, along with opportunities to take action. You can find all of our opportunities to act here. More will be added soon! Affordable...

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U.S. Pain brings 15 pain warriors to Headache on the Hill

U.S. Pain brings 15 pain warriors to Headache on the Hill

On Feb. 10 and 11, representatives from the U.S. Pain Foundation joined the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy in Washington, D.C., to participate in the 13th Annual Headache on the Hill. The event brings together patients, caregivers, and health care providers...

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U.S. Pain Foundation team members on the move

U.S. Pain Foundation team members on the move

U.S. Pain team members traveled across the country this month to provide the patient perspective on pediatric pain management, back pain research, and successful models of integrated care. Society for Pediatric Pain Medicine Joined by pediatric pain warrior Mary Young...

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Pain care state bills to follow in 2020

Pain care state bills to follow in 2020

Join U.S. Pain Foundation's Advocacy Network on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at noon EST for this free presentation for volunteers, featuring Kentucky Representative Cherlynn Stevenson. Attendees will learn about the types of state-based policies being proposed this...

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NY: Two exciting bills would help chronic pain community

NY: Two exciting bills would help chronic pain community

Over the years, we've heard many stories from pain warriors who wished their health care providers knew more about chronic pain and ways to manage it. This year, New York lawmakers are taking significant steps to benefit the chronic pain community and better support...

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Your advocacy made a difference in CMS’s recent decision!

Your advocacy made a difference in CMS’s recent decision!

This week, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared it will cover acupuncture for chronic low back pain. The news comes following a series of open comment periods offered by CMS on the topic. We alerted our volunteers to the second comment period...

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Survey study reveals improvement needed in pain assessment 

Survey study reveals improvement needed in pain assessment 

U.S. Pain Foundation was one of six patient advocacy groups to collaborate on a survey to understand patient awareness of and satisfaction with chronic pain assessment methods. More than 2,700 people living with a variety of chronic pain conditions responded, and the...

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Read U.S. Pain’s letter to the FDA

Read U.S. Pain’s letter to the FDA

U.S. Pain Foundation was among several hundred organizations and individuals to weigh in on a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comment period. Specifically, the FDA asked for the public's views on two main issues: What criteria the FDA should use to evaluate...

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Pain warriors convene in Dallas for Advocacy Summit

Pain warriors convene in Dallas for Advocacy Summit

Despite challenges often faced when traveling with a chronic pain condition, 19 advocates and a handful of caregivers rallied together in Dallas, TX, for a U.S. Pain Foundation Advocacy Summit. The goal was to help people with pain understand how they can take action...

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Protect pain patients’ rights in MA

Protect pain patients’ rights in MA

Yesterday, Cindy Steinberg, National Director of Policy and Advocacy, and two fellow advocates who live with pain, Debbie and Scott, testified at the Massachusetts State House at a hearing on Senate Bill 1262. The bill would amend the state's existing Patient Rights...

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