2019 Sacramento Educational Briefing

“Bettering the Lives of Californians Impacted by Chronic Pain”

View a Webcast Archive of the Briefing HERE

Briefing Report: Chronic Pain – The Neglected Malady

Briefing Report Executive Summary

Sacramento Educational Briefing Press Release

What:
2019 Sacramento Educational Briefing

Where:
Sacramento, California at the State Capitol, Room 113

When:
Wednesday, August 14th @ 10am – Noon

Briefing Host Organization:
For Grace

Briefing Format:
This will be a two hour briefing that will include a keynote and panel.

Purpose of Briefing:
We will educate state legislators, staffers and health agency officials about chronic pain as a major public health concern, the merits of the NIH’s National Pain Strategy and HHS’s Pain Management Task Force Report, integrative health, drug-free interventions and value-based healthcare.

Desired Outcome of Briefing:
We will implement a California-specific pain strategy that will trail blaze a model for improved care for six-seven million Californians impacted by chronic pain. The National Pain Strategy provides an excellent blueprint for optimal pain care and by teaming with state legislators and health agency leaders we will move forward legislatively with our key recommendation – a Center for the Improvement of Chronic Pain Research, Management and Prevention administered under the state’s Health and Human Services agency.

The Center would implement the following:
1) establish a network of Comprehensive Integrative Pain Treatment and Research Centers of Excellence across the state,
2) improve and expand pain management education/training opportunities for all types of health care providers (and students),
3) work with state agencies responsible for state employee health insurance, Medi-Cal coverage and Worker’s Compensation to revise coverage and reimbursement policies for chronic pain
4) develop and implement state-wide public health campaign to educate California residents about chronic pain and chronic pain patients about pain treatment options including self-care

Briefing Background:
In 2010, the National Academy of Medicine (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine) called for “a cultural transformation in pain prevention, care, education, and research.” In response to this call to action experts from the public and private sectors, including healthcare professionals, payers, advocates, and patients came together and developed the National Pain Strategy (April 2016) which has been described as “a roadmap toward achieving a system of care in which all people receive appropriate, high quality and evidence-based care for pain.” For Grace’s November 2018 Pain Summit responded to that call to action. We focused on developing concrete strategies in four of the six key areas identified by the NPS: Prevention and Care, Disparities, Service Delivery and Payment, and Medical Education – and our healthcare luminaries responded with recommended solutions. At the end of 2018, the US Health and Human Services’ Pain Management Task Force released a comprehensive report which strongly emphasized a multi-disciplinary, integrated, integrative model while stating “effective chronic pain care requires access to a wide range of treatment options, including biomedical, behavioral health and complementary treatment.”

Briefing Invitees:
State legislators, legislative staffers, representatives from Medi-Cal, Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health, Department of Insurance, Department of Managed Health Care and other health-related agencies. We will be seeking partnerships with Capitol-based legislative entities (i.e., individual legislators, Women’s Legislative Caucus, Senate and Assembly Health committees, etc.) to encourage attendee participation and a Capitol-based meeting site.

Confirmed Briefing Speakers and Panelists:
Dr. Sean Mackey (Stanford), Dr. Steven Richeimer (USC), Diane Hoffmann (University of Maryland), Christin Veasley (Chronic Pain Research Alliance), Dr. Fasih Hameed (Petaluma Health Care Center) and Cynthia Toussaint (For Grace: Women In Pain.)

Briefing Agenda:
~ Welcome from Briefing Sponsor – Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson
~ Host Introduction (5 mins)
~ Presentation focusing on Chronic Pain, NIH’s National Pain Strategy and Barriers to Treatment (10 mins)
~ The Real-Life Chronic Pain Experience (5 mins)
~ Panel Addressing Needs to Improved Pain Care (25 mins)
~ Core Recommendation to Improve Pain Care – A Pain Center under the California Health and Human Services Agency (10 mins)
~ Q&A and Thank Yous (15 mins)