Pain Awareness Month

WHEREAS, chronic pain is a broad, costly and growing epidemic in Alabama and the nation; and

WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Alabamians suffer from chronic pain – more than from cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined; and

WHEREAS, the National Centers for Health Statistics estimates that more than 76 million Americans suffer from pain caused by various injuries, diseases and disorders, making pain one of the most frequent complaints encountered by healthcare professionals; and

WHEREAS, Southeast Pain Management Center in Dothan, Alabama works to improve the quality of life for people with chronic, acute and disease-related pain; and

WHEREAS, increased awareness of the effects of chronic pain will promote access to appropriate pain management treatment, helping facilitate better outcomes and improving the quality of life for those that are suffering:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim the month of September 2015, as

Pain Awareness Month

in the state of the Alabama.