Boise – Governor Butch Otter has joined other states in proclaiming September as Pain Awareness Month. Dedicating September to pain education was an idea put forward by Partners for Understanding Pain—a consortium of national organizations that touch the lives of individuals with chronic, acute, and cancer pain. The Idaho Proclamation states that pain will touch every person in Idaho at sometime in their lives, and nearly 250,000 Idahoans live with pain every day.

In 2006, a group of Idaho health professionals formed the Idaho Pain Coalition, a grassroots effort to improve the treatment of pain in Idaho. “Our ultimate vision is to create an atmosphere in Idaho in which the issue of pain is acknowledged and openly discussed, the treatment of pain is practiced competently, conscientiously, and systematically, and the suffering of people across our state is minimized,” said Curtis Gedney, MD, a certified palliative care and family practice physician from Emmett and president of the Coalition. “We are dedicated to implementing a comprehensive educational program for health professionals in Idaho that will communicate the need to treat pain and the most effective treatment options. We also aim to raise public awareness regarding the value of seeking treatment for pain.”

Today, Idaho Pain Coalition members include hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, physicians, consumers, and others from around the state. The coalition holds periodic conference calls and face-to-face meetings to plan educational programs and other activities.

“We are very committed to eliminating unnecessary pain in Idaho, especially among those who are most vulnerable,” said Lowder, a nurse consultant who helps Idaho nursing homes improve the quality of their care. “We are particularly concerned about the elderly, children, rural populations, and minority groups.”