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Support Smart Pain Policies
Health and quality of life can depend on how effectively a patient's pain is treated. While states are making steady progress in pain management, many people experiencing chronic pain from diseases like breast cancer still face barriers to proper treatment, a new report shows. How effective are the pain policies in your state and how can they be improved? Fill out the form below to send a copy of the Pain and Policy Studies Group Progress Report Card to your Governor so they can better serve breast cancer patients.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , As part of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's ongoing efforts to fight breast cancer, the Foundation recently supported a study conducted by the Pain and Policy Studies Group (PPSG) of the Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Wisconsin. Part of a series entitled, "Achieving Balance in State Pain Policy", this report evaluated each state's policies in balancing patient pain management and drug abuse control. The report serves as a review providing recommendations to guide state government policy in improving quality health care and patient access by regulation of the use of opioid medications. I urge you and your health care staff to take some time to review the Pain and Policy Studies Group Progress Report Card (please go to http://www.painpolicy.wisc.edu/Achieving_Balance/index.html), and use the report to draw attention to pain policies in our state. Pain management contributes to improved health and can restore quality of life for patients with chronic pain from diseases such as breast cancer. The results of the PPSG report have been released in the "Progress Report Card 2006," showing that states are making steady progress in adopting effective policies that help alleviate suffering. However, barriers still remain. There are still states with policies that prevent healthcare professionals from effectively alleviating the suffering of their patients. The analysis focuses on the extent to which policy enhances or impedes pain management, and state by state, the study shows that pain management policy has mostly improved over the last three years. This trend is the result of state efforts to balance dual obligations of controlling opioids while ensuring their medical availability. Positive pain management efforts have included establishing state health care regulatory boards, and repealing restrictive or ambiguous pain policy state legislation - huge hurdles for consistent state pain policy. While the overwhelming majority of states made a grade of a "C," or better, there is still vast room for improvement. Great opportunity exists for every state to continue to explore current policy to determine how it may best avoid negative policies and improve access to pain management. Again, I urge you to review the Pain and Policy Studies Group Progress Report Card (please go to http://www.painpolicy.wisc.edu/Achieving_Balance/index.html), and use the report to draw attention to pain policies in our state. Please reassess and evaluate the pain policy climate in our state legislature and among health care professionals to provide the best possible quality health care and access for breast cancer patients, and others suffering from chronic pain.
Sincerely, |
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| Background Information |
This year alone, more than 217,000 American women and men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 will die from this devastating disease. In addition to invasive breast cancer, 59,390 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur among women during 2006. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women ages 40-50. Tell us why you care about breast cancer.
