For Grace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the ethical and equal treatment of all women in pain, will offer Women in Pain: Gender Matters, a conference focusing on the gender inequalities in the treatment and research of pain. The conference will be held on May 30 in City of Hope’s Platt Conference Center. City of Hope and the Southern California Cancer Pain Initiative are co-sponsors of the event.
Women in Pain: Gender Matters will focus on the disparities in treatment and research dedicated to women in pain, traditional and alternative therapies for pain control, legal and regulatory issues in chronic pain management, and the role of the interdisciplinary team in cancer and pain. In what is believed to be a first for a pain-related conference, health care providers and women experiencing pain will attend lectures and workshops together.
According to the National Institutes of Health, research has shown that women experience more pain than men and are more prone to chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia, pelvic pain and rheumatoid arthritis. But women are less likely to receive treatment due to cultural, economic and political barriers.
"Over the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous emphasis on raising awareness of pain issues affecting women. We created this conference to bring a high level of thinking and analysis to this issue and to educate the public, health care providers and the government about the lack of diagnosis and adequate treatment of chronic pain in women," said Cynthia Toussaint, founder of For Grace and a chronic pain sufferer herself.
The conference also will feature a dramatization of the typical doctor-patient relationship and demonstrations of various creative arts therapies. Lisa Lynne, a world class Celtic harpist who is the founder of Hands on Harps music program at City of Hope, will lead an interactive music breakout session. For Grace will also premiere a new promotional spot that features actor Jack Coleman, one of the stars of NBC's hit show,” Heroes.”
Attendees are expected to include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, legislators, patients and many others dedicated to the awareness of chronic pain issues affecting women.
For a list of scheduled speakers and more information about the 2008 Women in Pain conference, please visit www.ForGrace.org or SCCPI at www.sccpi.coh.org or call 818-760-7635.
