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FREE Educational and Peer Support Classes
for Cancer Patients and Caregivers
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"I Can Cope" is a series of free, educational, peer
support classes now offered over the telephone on the first Wednesday of each month. "I Can Cope" is
exclusively for adult cancer patients and caregivers. The next class, "Managing Cancer-Related Fatigue", will be offered
on Wednesday, December 3, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon Pacific Time. Call 1-800-ACS-2345
to register. Registration deadline is November 24.
Register by December
29 for the January 7th class on "Communicating with Family, Friends, and Health Care Providers". Register by January 28 for
the February 4th class on "Managing the Effects of Illness and Treatment".
A description of these classes can be viewed here.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the "I Can Cope" program can be viewed here. Self-guided classes are also available
online at www.cancer.org/onlineclasses
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Beverly Nicholson Receives State Pain Initiative Champion Award
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Beverly Nicholson, R.N., M.S., A.O.C.N., received the State Pain Initiative Champion Award at the Annual
Meeting of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (ASPI), June 23, 2007, in Boston. Beverly has served as Chair of the Northern
California Pain Initiative (NCPI) from September 2005 to present, and has served on the NCPI Advisory Council since 2004.
Congratulations, Beverly!
A citation prepared by the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, describing the award and Beverly's service to the Northern
California Pain Initiative, can be viewed here.
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CME Webcast on Treating Painful Vertebral Compression Fractures
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The Cleveland Clinic has made available for viewing at anytime an archived webast ofasatellite symposium form
the Pallative Medicine 2007 International Symposium. To view the webcast, go to http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/fractures
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CD of NCPI Teleconference Now Available for FREE During September
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September is Pain Awareness Month! Update your knowledge about the evidence-based American Pain Society Guideline
for the Management of Cancer Pain in Adults and Children.
The Northern California Pain Initiative (NCPI) is making available, free-of-charge, a 90-minute CD of a teleconference
that was conducted by Christine Miaskiowski, RN, PhD, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean, Department of Physiological Nursing,
University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. Dr. Miaskowski is a nationally known pain expert and researcher
and was the Co-chairperson of the expert panel that formulated the Guideline for the Management of Cancer Pain in Adults and
Children.
A limited number of copies of the Guideline book (a $15 value) are available with the CD on a first-come, first served
basis, while supplies last.
Those wishing to obtain a copy of the CD and guideline book may contact Jennifer Renell of the American Cancer Society,
Northern California Division, 1710 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612
fax: (510)
874-7161
email: Jennifer.Renell@cancer.org
The teleconference project was funded by the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (ASPI) and the Lance Armstrong Foundation
(Agreement No.: 07-8197).
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New Pain Management Toolkit on Pain and Dementia
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The Resource Center of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (ASPI) has released a new educational tool for detecting
pain in patients with dementia. “Detecting Discomfort in Dementia: Focus on Behaviors - What Nursing Assistants
Need to Know About Pain” was developed under the direction of Karen Stevenson, MS, RN, Manager of Professional
Education and Institutional Change Programs for ASPI and June Dahl, PhD., Senior Advisor for ASPI. The 13-minute educational
video and the accompanying booklet, “Tools for Inservice Education” provide the necessary information
to help nursing assistants understand the role they play in practicing good care for cognitively impaired residents in pain.
This videotape, as well as others in the ASPI video series on effective pain management practices, can be ordered online
from The Resource Center of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, at http://www.trc.wisc.edu.
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Racial, Cultural, Ethnic Factors Affect End-of-Life Care
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The California HealthCare Foundation has published a new report describing how Californians' end-of-life care differs by
race, culture and ethnicity. The report identifies gaps in providing culturally sensitive services and offers recommendations
for change.
The full report, plus supplemental materials on methodology, are available for free download from the California HealthCare
Foundation website, at http://www.chcf.org/topics/chronicdisease/index.cfm?itemID=131674.
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2007 Progress Report Card Now Available
from the Pain and Policy Studies Group
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The Pain and Policy Studies Group has made available on its website the 2007 update to its two reports -- a Progress
Report Card and an Evaluation Guide. The Report Card provides a letter grade for each State based on the quality of
its policies (laws, regulations, guidelines) that influence pain management. The Evaluation Guide provides a profile
of each state's policies and how the policies enhance or impede pain management.
Both documents can be viewed or downloaded from the Pain and Policy Studies Group website at http://www.painpolicy.wisc.edu/Achieving_Balance/index.html
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January 2008 Issue of ASPI Pain Relief Forum Newsletter Online
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The January 2008 edition of the Pain Relief Forum E-Newsletter of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives
is now online and can be viewed at http://aspi.wisc.edu/newsletter/
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Health Care Professionals Needed for the Hurricane
Katrina Relief Effort
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The Office of The Surgeon General and the Office of Public Health
Emergency Preparedness are in the process of mobilizing and identifying healthcare professionals and relief personnel to assist
in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
They are currently looking for multidisciplinary healthcare professionals
and relief personnel with expertise in a wide range of disciplines.
Go to https://volunteer.ccrf.hhs.gov or call the
Hurricane Katrina Volunteer Call Center at 1-866-KATMEDI (1-866- 528-6334) to learn more.
Volunteers are advised that individuals must be healthy enough
to function under spartan field conditions. Workers will be non-paid temporary Federal employees,
and will therefore be eligible for coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act for liability coverage and Workman’s Compensation
when functioning as HHS employees. Although there will not be any salary, travel and per diem will be paid.
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A sample list of frequently used pain terminology is now available
online. A link to the list can be found here on
the "Related Topics" links page. To go directly to the online list,
click here.
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Assessment Tools for Adult and Pediatric Patients
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Interactive Communication on American Pain Foundation website
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PainAid http://www.painfoundation.org/PainAid/page.asp?file=page_home.htm is the interactive section of the American Pain Foundation's website.
Find Conference Rooms (regularly scheduled chats on a range of issues); Discussion Boards (threaded message boards on a broad
range of topics); and Ask the Expert feature (pose questions to licensed healthcare professionals)
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Sales and Marketing of Palladone Suspended
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Duragesic Package Insert Black Box Warning
Changes Announced
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NCPI Advisory Council Teleconference Schedule
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The NCPI Advisory Council has scheduled its teleconferences
for the 3rd Tuesday of each month in 2008, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time. The dates are 15 JAN, 19 FEB, 18 MAR,
15 APR, 20 MAY, 17 JUN, 15 JUL, 19 AUG, 16 SEP, 21 OCT, 18 NOV, and 16 DEC. The teleconference phone number and participant
code are listed on the Advisory Council web page.
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