The Pediatric Pain Program at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital was honored with the Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Award by the American Pain Society (APS) at the organization's 28th Annual Scientific Conference in San Diego, CA on May 7.
APS established the program in 2006 to build awareness about progressive teams of health professionals who address critical, sometimes unmet, needs in pain management within their communities.
"I am so proud of our wonderful multidisciplinary clinical and research team and the achievements we have accomplished in a field that is still emerging in pediatric care," commented Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer, director of the Pediatric Pain Program at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital.
Among the five honorees, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital was the only pediatric program to receive an award. UCLA's pain program was recognized for its achievements in changing the paradigm for children's pain management, recovery and function.
Some notable highlights of UCLA's Pediatric Pain Program include:
- Initial consultations that enable patients and their parents to share stories about pain and offer insights to the child's pain disability and potential ways to reduce suffering and enhance function.
- Treatment plans that include medication, psychotherapy, family therapy, school reintegration planning, art and music therapy, yoga, and more. Treatments can be modified in weekly case discussions at team meetings.
- Practitioners who work closely with referring physicians to keep the pain care plan focused and collaborative.
"These awards highlight the benefits of the multidisciplinary approach to pain management for providing optimal care for those with myriad pain conditions," added APS President Charles J. Inturrisi, professor of pharmacology at New York's Weill Cornell Medical Center. "A recurring quality of leading pain programs is success in helping patients enhance overall function and quality of life."
The additional centers recognized by APS included Beth Israel Medical Center, department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, New York; the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Pain Management Center, Houston; the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the University of Virginia, Division in Pain Medicine, Charlottesville
The UCLA Pediatric Pain Program at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital offers state-of-the-art medicine in combination with the regenerative power of complementary therapies to help treat children suffering from chronic pain. A wide variety of complementary therapies is used, ranging from acupuncture to art therapy. In addition, the Pediatric Pain Program conducts research on integrative therapies and sponsors educational programs for health professionals and the public. For more information, please visit www.mattel.ucla.edu/pedspain/home.php.
-UCLA-
