We introduce the latest location of Arizona Pain.

By Kevin Whipps

Arizona Pain has locations across the Valley, but those in the Desert Ridge area just got a more convenient option, with the addition of our new clinic located right off the Loop 101 and Tatum Boulevard in Phoenix. And better yet, it comes with a few familiar faces.

Like other Arizona Pain locations, the Desert Ridge Medical Campus features world-class care performed by the best in the industry. The attending physician on-site is Dr. Jack Anderson, who may look familiar to frequent readers of Arizona Pain Monthly. That’s because Anderson was spotlighted in our Q&A feature back in April.

As a double board certified interventional pain physician and anesthesiologist, Anderson is very qualified to handle any pain issue that comes his way. “Dr. Anderson has been recognized professionally as a thought leader, mentor and compassionate colleague,” says Dr. Tory McJunkin, co-founder of Arizona Pain. “We are confident in his skills of leading our Phoenix pain team and are proud to have him on board.”
Anderson shares the same approach as other Arizona Pain physicians, in that he utilizes a conservative and minimally invasive approach to comprehensive care. He also has a background in emergency medicine and diagnostic radiology, which brings additional depth to his work. Just don’t make any Matrix jokes when you see him — we’re sure he’s heard them all.

The new location is 3,586 square feet and includes seven clinic rooms, plus a large waiting room where patients can either watch TV or thumb through the latest issue of Arizona Pain Monthly. This is a one-stop shop for pain treatment.
“We know chronic pain affects over a million people in Phoenix alone,” says Arizona Pain CEO Joe Carlon. “Our commitment to the patients in this community is to provide the world-class pain care they would want for their own moms and dads, and our newest location in the Desert Ridge area of Phoenix allows us to better deliver that kind of care to patients in their time of need.”
The Desert Ridge Medical Campus is located at 20940 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite B-210, in Phoenix, and is open Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. To make an appointment at any Arizona Pain location, please call 480-563-6400, or visit us on the web at Arizonapain.com.

By Kevin Whipps

On December 9th at 4 pm at First Historic Church on 402 W. Monroe Ave, Arizona Pain Foundation and AZ Medical Foundation will hold their fifth annual Children Around the World Christmas party. It’s a special event for all that attend, because this isn’t just about giving back to the community, it’s about brightening the lives of the hundreds of kids that attend. But who exactly are the kids that come?

Myanmar (formerly Burma) is the second largest country in Southeast Asia, and is bordered by India, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh and China. Since it became an independent country in 1948, the country has seen nothing but war — a civil war that put the nation under military rule from 1962 to 2011. The area is frequently cited for human rights violations, and the types of things that happen in Myanmar is deplorable. So much so that since 2006, there have been over 55,000 Burmese refugees that have moved and resettled into the United States.

There is a fairly large group of these refugees here in Arizona, and many of them attend the Children Around the World Christmas party. It’s a time when they can get away from it all and have fun with other kids and do something different. This year, the theme is based on the popular book and movie, The Polar Express.

The plan is simple: children will arrive in groups and will be taken by an “Engineer” to each train stop along the way. These include the activity center, arts and crafts, dining, and the Christmas play. They’ll also meet Santa Claus and a few elves, too.

This isn’t being put on by just one organization; it’s simply too big for that. Arizona Pain Foundation, Arizona Medical Clinic, City of Grace Church, AZ-Tech Radiology and several very gracious sponsors are all lending a hand in a partnership between all of them. The result is something truly special, that will bring happiness to the kids involved.

For information on how you can make a donation to these children and families, please contact Letticia Medina at the Arizona Medical Clinic, 602-274-2100

By Kevin Whipps

While we spend our mornings waiting in line for a coffee, or complaining about the latest thing that happened on the news, a world away lives a country where almost 10 million people live on less than $1 a day. While we drive through our suburban neighborhoods, 85% of their population lives in rural villages. And out of the 13 million people in their country, at least 1 million are infected with HIV. In 2007, 2.1 million died from the disease.

It’s named Malawi, but it’s also known as “The warm heart of Africa,” and it’s a country that doesn’t get a ton of press around these parts, but it should. The average life expectancy of a male born today is just 51 years old, and 15.5% of all children under the age of five are underweight. The fact is, times are tough over there, and without the help of people in more fortunate situations, the country will continue to devolve.

In 2001, Dr. Perry Jansen and a small group began Partners in Hope (PIH). Their mission was to provide desperately needed medical care to the people of Malawi, and donate their services to help stop the spread of HIV in Africa. To start, the team went to Malawi and provided home based care as well as taught HIV prevention in local schools. In addition, they started providing antiretroviral medications (ARVs) to those in need, and the results were astounding. People who were expected to die got up out of bed and regained living their normal lives. It was amazing.

A few years later in 2005, PIH opened a new facility named the Partners in Hope Medical Center. Today, they see over 250 patients daily, and actively care for 6,000 HIV patients on the premises. What makes the space so amazing? Treatments and tools that we have access to as Americans are rare and hard to find in Malawi, but PIH brought in a state-of-the-art laboratory to diagnose both Tuberculosis and HIV patients. They have x-ray machines and ultrasound tools, rarely seen in Malawi. Today, PIH has 3,500 HIV patients in care, 2,600 patients on ARVs and 3,600 patients are seen each month.

This is an uphill struggle, for sure, but PIH has definitely made strides in the right direction. Today, over 100 peer educators have been trained, they’ve opened Tikambe Youth Center to offer “youth friendly” HIV testing and over 1,000 people are tested for HIV every month. They’ve even been expanding the clinic, with the “Thandizo” ward opening in 2010, and the “Moyo” clinic just completing expansion.

Partners in Hope is the sister clinic to Arizona Pain. We support the amazing work that Dr. Jansen and his crew perform, and we hope you do too. If you would like to donate to Partners in Hope, you can do so at their website: Partnersinmalawi.org/donations.php.

By Kevin Whipps
It’s the holiday season, and of course we’re all looking forward to hanging out with our friends and family, and maybe taking in a drumstick or two. But some people aren’t so lucky and don’t get the chance to see their families during December. Sometimes, not at all.

That’s why it’s important to remember to help those less fortunate than us. Often we say to ourselves that someday we’ll do that, but just not right now, we’re too “busy.” But it’s the holidays season now, and it’s time to put up or shut up. So how do you find a charity that works for you and will help people out? Let’s give you a few tips.

Look Inside

When it comes with finding a charity to work with, you have to first start with what you want to support. To do that, take a look inside and see what works for you.

Maybe you have a mother who was a victim of breast cancer, or a friend who lived on the streets at one point in their life. Point is, we’ve all known or been someone who needs some kind of assistance, and if we have the ability to help someone in a similar situation, this is a great time to do so.

Find a charity that relates to your personal experiences. Then narrow it down even further if possible. For example, maybe that friend who lived on the streets did so in your hometown. Look for a charity that helps people in that specific region, that way you’re directly affecting change. You can also go the other direction and expand your search. If your mother had breast cancer but you want to support cancer survivors at large, look at that as a charity option. Either way, you’ve started with a focus, and picked a charity based on that.

Find the Givers

Some people don’t donate to charity because they’re concerned about where their money goes. In some scenarios, a charity may be founded towards one specific cause, but the problem is that they don’t donate 100% of the proceeds towards said goal. That’s fine, charities need to raise operational costs too, but it’s when the percentage rates start getting lower and lower that some start to get concerned.

Do some research online to determine what charities in your focus exist, then narrow it down based on some of their specifics. For example, make sure the charity is a registered public charity, meaning it has 501(c)(3) status. Without it, you could be giving money to a scam. Make sure the organization has a history of doing good deeds and actually giving their money away. And whatever you do, don’t just give money to someone who calls you up on the phone and asks for it in the name of someone, who knows who they actually are.

This all comes down to properly researching your charity of choice. As long as you’re comfortable with giving your money to them after doing your homework, you’ll be alright.

Consider Alternatives

At the end of the day, cash is king with most charities. By giving them your money, they can designate where it goes and how it gets spent — it’s their job, so they’re good at it.

But there are other options for specific organizations. Goodwill takes all sorts of stuff, particularly clothes and other household items. Some groups take old automobiles as credit, which comes in handy if you find yourself with a vehicle that you can’t trade in or inherited from a friend or family member. Canned goods also work with the right charity, so stock up if that’s your goal.

Stay Local or Go National

Think about who lives in your area. Maybe you’re in a rural community with a volunteer fire department and a local sheriff who watches the town. Or say you live in a huge city with millions of people, where you pass the less fortunate on your way to work. Think locally, then start to look at a local charity that can help people near you.

Or, consider the opposite direction. Larger problems — cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis — are nationwide issues, and therefore need nationwide help. Look outside of your comfort zone to see what you can find.

Whatever You Do, Give

After doing your homework, determining your cause and going through everything else, the important thing to do is give. Who knows, someday you may be on the receiving end  and need some help yourself, so give now while you can.

Jeff Grabosky runs Pain Free.

For Jeff Grabosky, the answer is a feat of historic proportions – he is running across the United States. Over two hundred people have accomplished this goal, however, Jeff is running alone, with no running partners and no car following him carrying his supplies. Only seventeen people before him have completed this run unsupported across the United States.

To prepare to run across the United States, Grabosky had been gradually increasing the length of his runs, peaking at 210 miles in a week, which is 30 miles a day. With a training schedule like that, it comes as no surprise that Grabosky found himself in pain. “I began to experience severe leg pain,” Grabosky explains. “It got to where I had to stop training, which was concerning because I was planning to leave in two weeks. I needed to do something, and so I went to Arizona Pain, where I received active release therapy massage. I instantly felt so much better, and was able to get right back into training. I went from being very nervous to very confident again.”
Jeff Runs Pain Free!

Grabosky has been running for years, but it wasn’t until he suffered great loss that he really began to make it a part of his life. “I had a pretty tough stretch where, in the span of about a week, I lost my mom to cancer and my wife left me,” Grabosky says. “Running is what gave me a sense of purpose again, and so I just started doing more and more of it. I began running marathons and through that was able to raise some money for cancer research, run a few 100 mile races and coach others.”