WELCOME TO THE MASSACHUSETTS PAIN INITIATIVE WEBSITE

MassPI Leadership Organizational Guidelines
Strategic Plan Next General Meeting

Mission Statement:
The Massachusetts Pain Initiative (MassPI) is a statewide, non-profit, voluntary organization dedicated to ending needless suffering from persistent and acute pain and to improve quality of life for all people affected by pain.

MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR DECLARES PAIN A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. Click here for Proclamation from Govenor Deval Patrick. Click here for pain facts.

Save the date: MassPI General Meeting Friday, April 3, 2009. Current Trends in Pain Management with keynote speaker Daniel B. Carr, MD, FABPM. Click here for more information

Current Opportunities :

Tools for Screening for and Assessing Pain
Many published reliable and valid tools, including rating scales, diaries and comprehensive pain assessment tools exist. A variety of different tools may be used to identify and assess pain and/or behavior changes in individuals who are cognitively intact, people who are cognitively impaired, those who are acutely ill in intensive care and other health care settings. Guidelines for improving pain assessment and management recommend that organizations select specific tools to be used by all providers in the organization to screen for pain routinely and assess pain when pain is reported or suspected. The Pain Resource Center at the City of Hope Medical Center provides copies of many tools as well as information regarding selecting an appropriate tool. Access this resource at http://www.cityofhope.org


Pain Management Pocket Tools
The MassPI Professional Education Council, along with other national experts, have created Pain Management Pocket Tools. View pdf here. To order five pocket tools free of charge, contact Virginia.Newell-Stokes@bhs.org. To obtain additional quantities, click here for a Pocket Tool order form.

About MassPI
MassPI volunteers are people who care about improving pain management - this includes doctors, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, administrators, integrative therapy professionals, lawyers, educators, pastoral care professionals, board members, consumers, caregivers, legislators, and media professionals.
MassPI is a member of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives.

MassPI focuses its efforts through volunteers in the:
Professional Education Council
Legislative Issues and Access to Care Council
Public Awareness Council

History:
In the late 1980s, the Massachusetts Cancer Pain Initiative was formed and remained strong for almost ten years. Due to budgetary limitations, the initiative was not able to survive. In 2000, The New England Division of the American Cancer Society was awarded a three-year grant from the Stratford Foundation in order to develop the New England Pain Relief Pain Project. A meeting in August 2002, representing interests across the commonwealth, revived the Massachusetts project. Recognizing the critical public health need to treat pain from all sources, the group unanimously voted to expand its charter to include all pain and to call themselves the Massachusetts Pain Initiative.

Contact Us:
For more information about MassPI, you can email by clicking here or call 508-270-4653.

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Click here for a MassPI brochure

 

Click here for a Pain Resource Guide

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for a MassPI Pain Management Pocket Tool