Pain is America's No. 1 Public Health Problem; News Conference, First Showing of American Pain Society PSA Tomorrow at NPC

9/23/2003

From: Chuck Weber, 847-705-1802, cpweber@weberpr.com

News Advisory:

Chronic pain affects at least one in five Americans, making it the nation's most urgent and ignored health issue. Today, many suffer in silence from untreated or undertreated pain because they don't have access to appropriate care or feel stigmatized about getting treatment. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) has introduced long-awaited legislation, HR 1863: The National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003, to improve pain treatment nationwide and allocate more resources for pain research. Its passage, however, will depend largely on improving public awareness and understanding of the plight of those who deal with unrelenting pain everyday pain and their need for accessible and effective pain management.

WHO:

-- Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), sponsor of HR 1863: The National Pain Care Policy Act of 2003 and House co-sponsors;

-- American Pain Society President Richard Payne, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center;

-- American Academy of Pain Medicine Past President Mark Hahn, DO, Univ. of North Texas

-- American Headache Society Pres. Joel Saper, MD, Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Inst.;

-- American Pain Foundation, represented by Mary Vargas, attorney and chronic pain patient.

WHAT: News Conference and First showing of American Pain Society public service TV ad

WHEN: Tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 24) 10 a.m. EDT)

WHERE: National Press Club, 529 14th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

DETAILS:

Rep. Rogers and leaders of the nation's most prominent pain organizations will brief the media on the pain crisis in America and relate how HR 1863 will help pain patients, care providers and researchers. They will present startling data about untreated and undertreated pain and the personal, social and economic toll it is taking. Also, the American Pain Society's public service TV ad will be shown for the first time. All speakers will be available for interviews after the event, and a media kit and beta copies of the PSA will be distributed.