Basic Info about TxPAIN and ASPI

1. Fast Facts about Pain
How prevalent is pain in the United States and in Texas?
Over 50 million Americans suffer from persistent pain and 25 million experience acute pain as a
result of injuries or surgery.
As many as 11 million Texans suffer from unrelieved pain.
Pain affects more Texans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined, yet it remains woefully
undertreated and misunderstood, and the majority does not receive appropriate care.
For persons with cancer, one third experience pain at the time of diagnosis and more than two-thirds
with advanced disease experience significant pain.
Why isn’t pain managed very well?
Many obstacles stand in the way of effective pain management including inadequate training of health
professionals, exaggerated fears of side effects and addiction related to pain medication, lack of
communication between patients and health care providers, the low priority of pain management in the
health care system, and government laws and regulations that impede effective pain care. While pain is
the number one reason why people visit their doctors, less than one percent of the National Institutes of
Health research budget is devoted to the study of pain.
Can pain be relieved?
Most pain can be effectively relieved or greatly eased with existing therapies.
What is the Texas Pain Advocacy and Information Network?
The Texas Pain Advocacy and Information Network (TxPAIN) is an affiliate of the Alliance of State Pain
Initiatives. TxPAIN is a multidisciplinary organizations comprised of healthcare professionals,
researchers, educators, and patient advocates. TxPAIN seeks to ensure high quality pain management
for people of all communities and cultures in Texas through public policy initiatives, public awareness
campaigns, and patient and provider education. The state office of TxPAIN is housed at the American
Cancer Society High Plains Division offices in Austin, Texas.
What is the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives?
The Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (formerly American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives) is a national
network of state based Pain Initiatives dedicated to promoting pain relief. State Pain Initiatives (SPIs)
exist in nearly every state of the country and are interdisciplinary organizations that work to remove the
barriers to effective pain control through professional and patient education, advocacy, and
improvements to the health care system. The national office of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives is part
of the Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Wisconsin Madison. The
national office facilitates the sharing of resources among SPIs, develops innovative pain management
improvement programs, organizes an annual national meeting, and serves as the collective voice for the
SPIs on national issues.
Need more information?
TxPAIN: Contact Karen Torges at the American Cancer Society, 512-919-1884 or email
Karen.torges@cancer.org.
ASPI: Contact the ASPI at (608) 265-4013 or visit the ASPI’s website at: www.aspi.wisc.edu.