U.S. Pain is sponsoring the upcoming feature-length film, Becoming Incurable, which follows the lives of three patients living with incurable illnesses. Filmmaker Victoria Suan believes that by sharing their stories, she can help create awareness for the hundreds of millions of individuals who suffer from chronic illness.
As part of the collaboration between U.S. Pain and Becoming Incurable, Suan recently created a four-minute film highlighting the stories of several U.S. Pain staff members and volunteers: Michaela O’Connor, Katie Golden, Suzanne Stewart, Terry Craig, and Julian Phillips. To see the video, click here.
This year, U.S. Pain’s KNOWvember campaign will highlight complementary medicine options, ranging from massage to acupressure to medical cannabis. Each day, U.S. Pain will be posting a fact about complementary medicine to provide people with chronic diseases options to research when piecing together a pain management plan.
So far, two webinars are scheduled:
- “Acupressure for Stress Relief: The Seva Stress Release Program,” with Regina Rosenthal, PT, an advanced practitioner and instructor of process acupuncture, on Nov. 20 at 7 pm EST. Register here.
- “Don’t Let Pain Limit You: Take Charge with Sound Data and Social Support” with Rachel Trobman, CEO and founder of the pain management app, Ouchie, on Nov. 9 at 12 pm EST. Register here.
More details and registration links for these events will be posted on U.S. Pain’s social media accounts.
U.S Pain’s next webinar for volunteers and members interested in volunteering will be held Nov. 21 at 1 pm, EST. The webinar will feature an informational presentation, “How to talk about pain so your doctor will listen,” given by Diane Cleverly, PhD. Cleverly has 20 years of medical communications experience and is the founder of Concierge Conversations, a coaching service that helps teach patients and providers how to better communicate with one another.
Earlier this fall, longtime New Jersey ambassador Jeannette Rotondi and her husband, Dennis, coordinated with Rutgers University’s Behavior Health Center to share U.S. Pain Foundation materials and information during the center’s Wellness Month, which coincided with Pain Awareness Month. Dennis is a staff clinician at the center and has volunteered alongside Jeannette since she joined U.S. Pain.
While it may seem harmless, drinking alcohol with certain prescription medications can cause potentially dangerous adverse effects. To help educate the public on the dangers of mixing prescriptions and alcohol, the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) created a campaign, “Don’t Mix,” as part of Talk About Your Medicines Month this October. U.S. Pain Foundation’s Founder and President Paul Gileno, who sits on the Board of Directors of the NCPIE, says he is strongly supportive of the effort.
As a leading expert on various pain conditions, U.S. Pain Foundation recently relaunched its initiative, Learn about your Pain, to provide complete and timely information on hundreds of pain disorders. Learn about your Pain is a comprehensive website and educational tool for anyone wanting to learn more about specific diseases and disorders that are associated with chronic pain.
“We are really excited about this relaunch,” says Director of Learn about your Pain Michaela O’Connor. “Many people live with multiple pain conditions, so it’s nice to have all the information in one place. It’s also great to have information that comes from people who understand what it’s like to live with pain.”
U.S. Pain Foundation hosted a Take Control of Your Pain education day on April 2 in partnership with the New York State Pain Society. The free event, which took place in West Harrison, New York, aimed to help individuals living with chronic pain become better educated regarding treatments, introduce them to the importance of advocating, and provide support resources.
Speakers included Nicole Hemmenway, vice president of U.S. Pain Foundation and director of the INvisible Project, who gave an overview of the organization; Allison Caruana, MD, of Northwell Health, who spoke about migraine disease and headaches; Gwenn Hermann, LCSW-C, DCSW, executive director and founder of U.S. Pain’s Pain Connection program, who led a meditation exercise; Wendy Foster, a senior U.S. Pain advocate, who shared her patient journey; Paul Gileno, founder and president of U.S. Pain, who spoke about over-the-counter medications; and finally, Yuriy Ivanov, DO, of the Montefiore Medical Center, who discussed medical marijuana.