Whether cancer or arthritis, there are thousands of chronic conditions and health issues that can affect a person during their lifetime. What do all of these conditions have in common? They cause pain.
In honor of Pain Awareness Month, which begins Sept. 1, U.S. Pain Foundation is hosting a number of events and activities that aim to bring together people with pain and create more understanding about the challenges people with pain face. The theme for the 2018 campaign is #PainWarriorsUnite.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]”To fight for better care and resources for people with pain, we need to work together across various health conditions.”[/su_pullquote]“Nearly everyone will experience chronic pain at some point in their lives,” says Nicole Hemmenway, Interim CEO. “Yet the issue of pain remains at best, overlooked, and at worst, stigmatized by the general public. To fight for better care and resources for people with pain, we need to work together across various health conditions.”
This year, U.S. Pain’s initiative includes: a series of online educational events; a fact about chronic pain created in collaboration with a different patient or health advocacy group each day; a month-long social media challenge featuring special giveaways; the launch of a new blog about pain management and support; an infographic highlighting key statistics about chronic pain; and an INvisible Project edition highlighting the stories of staff, all of whom live with pain or are a caregiver for someone with pain.
U.S. Pain’s efforts also include its annual Light Up the Landmarks campaign, which has more than 70 landmarks or buildings set to light up in blue; Beautify in Blue, which decorates public spaces with blue signage; and its proclamations push, in which volunteers have collected proclamations from more than 15 states and 50 municipalities designating September as Pain Awareness Month.
Full details about the month’s events and activities can be found below or on the Pain Awareness Month website.
- Educational events. U.S. Pain is hosting several online educational events, including: “Understanding chronic pain syndrome” with pain psychologist and author Bruce Singer, PsyD, Sept. 12 at 7 pm EST; “Conquering the brain in pain” with pain specialist and author Peter Abaci, MD, Sept 18 at 1 pm EST; and “Patient empowerment in clinical trials” with Lindsey Wahlstrom-Edwards, of Antidote.me, Sept. 25 at 12 pm EST.
- Daily challenge. U.S. Pain has put together a series of daily tasks for its followers on social media. Many of the daily challenges encourage self-care activities, help give pain warriors opportunities to speak up, and celebrate life’s simple pleasures. The challenge will also feature special promos and giveaways from Quell, Buzzy, and VibraCool. To check out the challenge, follow U.S. Pain on Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram.
- Partnership pain facts. U.S. Pain is uniting the pain community by partnering with 30 like-minded organizations to highlight a fact about pain each day during September. Keep an eye out for pain facts that resonate most with you or those you love by following U.S. Pain on Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram.
- Blog launch. In honor of Pain Awareness Month, we’re launching our new blog, Remedy! Remedy features the information about promising treatments, tips and strategies for self-management, resources for coping with the emotional and social effects of pain, and unique perspectives from patients, clinicians, and caregivers. Check it out here.
- A new infographic. Looking for a quick way to educate others about chronic pain? Print out our one-page infographic about the prevalence of pain, its impact, and challenges to quality care. Share it with loved ones, or bring it to your doctor! Download it here.
- INvisible Project: Staff edition. Did you know that all of U.S. Pain’s staff are people with pain or have a loved one who lives with pain? A special staff edition of the INvisible Project will highlight the stories of the individuals behind the organization. Keep an eye out on our social media pages or visit www.invisibleproject.org for more information!
- Light up the Landmarks. More than 60 landmarks and buildings will be lit up blue on Sept. 9, or another designated date, in honor of Pain Awareness Month thanks to the efforts of U.S. Pain volunteers. Landmarks range from the Bank of America Plaza in Dallas, TX, to the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, NY. To find a landmark near you, click here.
- State and local proclamations. More than 15 states and 50 cities/towns have proclaimed September as Pain Awareness Month. Additional municipalities and states have been requested and the count is expected to rise as we get closer to September. More information about proclamations can be found here.
- Beautify in Blue. Volunteers across the country have committed to decorating public spaces with blue signage in honor of Pain Awareness Month. For more information about this effort, click here.
U.S. Pain is especially grateful to sponsors Pfizer and Eli Lilly for making this year’s Pain Awareness Month efforts possible.
About U.S. Pain Foundation
U.S. Pain Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with chronic conditions that cause pain. Its mission is to empower, support, inform, and advocate for people with pain as well as their caregivers and clinicians. For more information, visit www.uspainfoundation.org.
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