MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Aug. 31, 2020 — According to a survey of 1,581 individuals with chronic pain, the majority (94%) face barriers to pain management, whether because of cost, insurance limits, mobility issues, or other reasons. In particular, 72% of respondents were not able to afford multidisciplinary care options, the type of care widely viewed as best practice.
Released this week in honor of September as Pain Awareness Month, the survey is part of a national campaign to call attention to challenges in accessing pain management. The effort is a collaboration between the U.S. Pain Foundation, a nonprofit organization for the 50 million Americans with chronic pain, and Sunbeam®, a maker of electric appliances, including heat therapy products.
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 for Chronic Pain. Cindy Steinberg, National Director of Policy and Advocacy, submitted a five-page comment on behalf of the U.S. Pain Foundation, which you can read here.
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 Director of Pain Connection, joined a videoconference meeting of the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC), the highest-ranking permanent pain policy committee in the United States. The IPRCC heard from representatives across various federal agencies and programs.