01 Jun Chicago Doctor Sworn in to Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Task Force to Fight Opioid Crisis
Dr. John Prunskis, co-founder and medical director of the Illinois Pain Institute, was sworn in to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recently established Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force (Pain Task Force) in Washington, D.C. As the only Pain Task Force physician from Illinois, Dr. Prunskis will work closely with other leading experts from across the country to guide HHS in establishing fundamental best practices and recommendations for the management of non-acute and acute pain.
Dr. John Prunskis and Illinois Pain Institute (IPI) are national leaders in the precise diagnosis and treatment of pain with limited use of opioid medications. IPI supports targeted treatment of the source of pain rather than just masking the symptoms with narcotics. The approach is growing in popularity as awareness of the opioid epidemic increases.
“I hope to learn from the other members of the Pain Task Force as well as contribute what the Illinois Pain Institute has accomplished in fixing the source of pain and reducing opioid use for over 25 years,” said Dr. Prunskis. “I love treating my patients, and I am happy to offer my experience to help the USA to fight the opioid epidemic.”
The Task Force includes representatives from the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Department of Defense, Department of Veteran Affairs, national health care organizations, and several non-federal members, including Dr. Prunskis.
The Task Force held its inaugural meeting on May 30, 2018 – May 31, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
For more information about Dr. John Prunskis or the Illinois Pain Institute, call Mary at 800-340-7246 or visit IllinoisPain.com.