ASPI E-Newsletter

The ASPI E-Newsletter is an e-mail update on pain related issues and events and the activities of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives. To receive the ASPI E-Newsletter, please email Sarah Mroz at scmroz@wisc.edu
Click here for past E-Newsletters.

September 2009 E-Newsletter

Pain Awareness Month: SPI Achievements

ASPI Website Improvements and Leader Toolbox Launch!

ASPI Weighs in on Acetaminophen Issue

Limited Space Available for the Training Course for PRN Program Coordinators

Registration Open for ASPI 20th Annual Meeting

Pain Awareness Month: SPI Achievements

September is Pain Awareness Month and many State Pain Initiatives are taking leadership roles in activities to raise awareness of pain issues in their states and communities. The activities include professional education conferences, public awareness media campaigns, Governors’ proclamations, pain summits, and more. Click here for a list of events taking place in communities across the country.

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ASPI Website Improvements and Leader Toolbox Launch!

The ASPI is thrilled to announce that we recently made several enhancements and improvements to our website, including adding a completely redesigned and updated ASPI Leader Toolbox! We are delighted to have launched these changes during September, Pain Awareness Month. Below is a summary of the new resources and improvements you will find on the ASPI website:
1. An updated State Pain Initiatives page that now includes a clickable map and drop-down menu at the top for quick navigation to the leaders, website, and contact information for each state.
2. An updated Calendar of Events page that is more clearly organized and searchable by both keyword and month.
3. A completely revised and updated ASPI Leader Toolbox that contains links, downloadable resources, and information in the five areas listed below:
            - SPI Development: Building and Sustaining a State Pain Initiative
            - Board, Volunteer, and Leadership Development
            - Fundraising, Grant Writing, and Budgeting
            - Media, Communications, and Public Relations
            - Events, Projects, Programs, and Evaluation
We hope you will use these new resources in your efforts to improve pain management! If you have questions or comments about the ASPI website, please contact Sarah Mroz.

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ASPI Weighs in on Acetaminophen Issue

The FDA convened a public advisory committee on June 29th and 30th to consider ways to reduce the adverse effects resulting from improper use of acetaminophen. The agency accepted public comments on the issue through Wednesday, September 30, 2009. The panel issued several recommendations, including eliminating prescription acetaminophen combination products and making the current maximum dosage of acetaminophen available only by prescription. While the FDA is not required to accept the panel’s recommendations, it usually takes them very seriously. ASPI has submitted a letter urging the FDA to reject recommendations that would place stringent restrictions on the availability of acetaminophen products and pose significant barriers to effective pain control. The letter also included suggested ways to address concerns about the potential adverse effects of acetaminophen on the liver: improved labeling of all products, creation of a special acetaminophen logo, elimination of use of the term APAP, enhanced patient education, medication guides and better clinician training. The ASPI would be pleased to join in such efforts.

Click here to find out more detailed information about the meeting and the recommendations made by the panel. Click here to read the voting results of the questions the panel considered.

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Limited Space Available for the Training Course for PRN Program Coordinators

There are limited spaces still available for the November Training Course for Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Program Coordinators. PRN programs are designed to prepare staff nurses to act as role models and resources for the day-to-day care of patients in pain. We invite you or a nursing leader from your organization to consider applying to attend the trainers’ course November 13-14, 2009 in Chicago, IL. Please apply soon as the program will be limited to 50 participants (one per institution unless space permits). Click here for full details and application information.

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Registration Open for ASPI 20th Annual Meeting

Registration is still open for the 20th Annual Meeting of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, “Bridging the Gaps in Pain Care.” This conference is a jointly sponsored continuing medical education activity being held October 23-25, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in San Francisco, California. We hope many of you will join us in California! For more information about the ASPI 20th Annual Meeting and to register, please visit the ASPI website or email Sarah Mroz.

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The Alliance of State Pain Initiatives and the University of Wisconsin-Madison do not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process described in the E-Newsletter, and the reference to any of these resources does not imply endorsement.

Contact Us: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Rm 4720 1300 University Ave Madison, WI 53706 Phone: (608) 265-4013 Fax: (608) 265-4014 aspi@mailplus.wisc.edu