It is the goal of the Ohio Pain Initiative to provide Ohio's health care professionals with the most current knowledge and tools required to take care of their pain patients needs. This is accomplished through this web site, seminars and presentations by members of the organization throughout the state of Ohio, the publication of a quarterly newsletter for OPI's members (The Resource), and an Annual Pain Summit in the spring of each year.

Health care consumers and the public need information to dispel common myths about pain and pain management. They also need to know their rights to optimal pain management and their responsibilities in working with health care professionals to obtain effective pain management.

Myths about addiction interfere with the effective management of pain. Professionals working with pain issues must understand current concepts and the latest developments in pain research. Issues surrounding the mis-use of prescribed substances are not created by prescribing practices related to pain, but are rather separate problems - the disease of addiction or the criminal act of diversion. In other words, addiction is not caused by the treatment of pain. Healthcare professionals providing pain management need to be aware of the difference between dependence, tolerance, addiction and pseudoaddiction.

You can assist the Ohio Pain Initiative in its mission by becoming a member and/or making a donation to the organization.