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| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 845 | PRINTER'S NO. 1283 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY MANN, SOLOBAY, BELFANTI, BEYER, BRENNAN, CREIGHTON, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARRIS, KOTIK, KULA, MAHONEY, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PHILLIPS, READSHAW, SAYLOR, SIPTROTH, VULAKOVICH, WHEATLEY, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, MURT, YOUNGBLOOD AND SEIP, MARCH 6, 2009 |
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| AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 25, 2009 |
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| A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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1 | Directing the Joint State Government Commission to create a pain |
2 | task force and a pain task force advisory committee to |
3 | promote professional and public education and awareness and |
4 | to improve the quality of care for the residents of this |
5 | Commonwealth who are suffering from pain. |
6 | WHEREAS, Pain can be classified as acute pain, such as pain |
7 | following injury, acute medical illness or surgery, chronic |
8 | pain, including, but not limited to, chronic low-back pain, |
9 | fibromyalgia, headache and chronic illness, such as lupus or |
10 | multiple sclerosis, cancer-related pain and pain in patients |
11 | with life-limiting illness; and |
12 | WHEREAS, Unrelieved acute pain increases suffering, can slow |
13 | recovery and is associated with an increased risk of |
14 | complications, including death; and |
15 | WHEREAS, Unrelieved acute pain is common, with up to 40% of |
16 | postoperative patients reporting inadequate pain relief; and |
17 | WHEREAS, As many as 15% to 25% of adults outside of hospitals |
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1 | and other medical settings suffer from chronic pain at any given |
2 | time, a figure that increases to 50% in adults 65 years of age |
3 | and older; and |
4 | WHEREAS, Chronic pain is associated with significant |
5 | suffering, including compromise of physical and psychosocial |
6 | functioning, such as depression and anxiety; and |
7 | WHEREAS, Chronic pain leads to lost or compromised workdays |
8 | that equate to an estimated $50 to $70 billion in the United |
9 | States per year; and |
10 | WHEREAS, Up to 70% of people who have cancer suffer from pain |
11 | caused by the disease or its treatment; and |
12 | WHEREAS, People who have advanced cancer describe their pain |
13 | as moderate to severe 40% to 50% of the time and as very severe |
14 | 25% to 30% of the time; and |
15 | WHEREAS, There are now several published clinical practice |
16 | guidelines regarding the diagnosis and treatment of acute, |
17 | chronic and cancer-related pain and pain associated with life- |
18 | limiting illness, and the Congress of the United States declared |
19 | 2001-2010 as the "Decade of Pain Control and Research"; and |
20 | WHEREAS, In spite of the availability of published treatment |
21 | guidelines, many residents of this Commonwealth continue to |
22 | suffer from poorly controlled pain due to a variety of reasons; |
23 | therefore be it |
24 | RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly |
25 | direct the Joint State Government Commission to create a pain |
26 | task force consisting of two members appointed by the President |
27 | pro tempore of the Senate, two members appointed by the Minority |
28 | Leader of the Senate, two members appointed by the Speaker of |
29 | the House of Representatives and two members appointed by the |
30 | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; and be it |
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1 | further |
2 | RESOLVED, That the task force create an advisory committee |
3 | to assist in accomplishing its responsibilities and consisting |
4 | of members with knowledge and expertise regarding pain research, |
5 | prevention, treatment, educational programs and consumer needs; |
6 | and be it further |
7 | RESOLVED, That the committee be composed of one |
8 | representative from and designated by the Department of Health, |
9 | the Office of Attorney General, the Pennsylvania Medical |
10 | Society, the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, the |
11 | American College of Physicians, the Pennsylvania Society of |
12 | Oncology and Hematology, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse |
13 | Practitioners, the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists, |
14 | Inc., the American Society for Pain Management Nursing, the | <-- |
15 | Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, the Pennsylvania |
16 | Psychiatric Society, the American Cancer Society, the |
17 | Pennsylvania Cancer Pain Initiative, the Arthritis Foundation, |
18 | The Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania, the National Multiple |
19 | Sclerosis Society, the American Pain Society, the American Pain |
20 | Foundation, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, the Hospital | <-- |
21 | and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania |
22 | Hospice Network, the Pennsylvania Chiropractic Association or |
23 | the Chiropractic Fellowship of Pennsylvania, the Association for |
24 | Professional Acupuncture in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Pain |
25 | Coalition, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, one | <-- |
26 | representative that is a pharmacist licensed by the State Board |
27 | of Pharmacy to engage in the practice of pharmacy in this |
28 | Commonwealth, one representative of the Pennsylvania |
29 | rehabilitation industry and two representatives of the |
30 | biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries; and be it further |
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1 | RESOLVED, That the task force present to the General Assembly |
2 | a report evaluating the barriers to good pain care in this |
3 | Commonwealth and make suggestions for actions to improve pain |
4 | care within this Commonwealth; and be it further |
5 | RESOLVED, That the task force study the feasibility of |
6 | developing and implementing a comprehensive Statewide public |
7 | education program on pain management to: |
8 | (1) Promote public awareness regarding proper pain |
9 | management. |
10 | (2) Promote understanding of the importance of early |
11 | diagnosis and proper treatment and management. |
12 | (3) Improve the delivery of appropriate information, |
13 | programs and services and access to the most effective |
14 | treatments for pain. |
15 | (4) Encourage research into the nature, cause and |
16 | treatment of pain; |
17 | and be it further |
18 | RESOLVED, That the task force, in accomplishing its missions, |
19 | take into account guidelines that have been promulgated by |
20 | nationally recognized organizations that deal with pain; and be |
21 | it further |
22 | RESOLVED, That the task force recommend an appropriate means |
23 | of disseminating information to the professional community and |
24 | the general public; and be it further |
25 | RESOLVED, That the task force recommend sources of funds to |
26 | carry out its recommendations; and be it further |
27 | RESOLVED, That the task force report its findings directly to |
28 | the General Assembly no later than one year after the adoption |
29 | of this resolution. |
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