From our Executive Director, Maria Hudspith

I’m very excited to share that, starting this fall, Pain BC will be launching Pain Support and Wellness Groups in communities throughout the province. These in-person support groups will offer an opportunity for people living with persistent pain to learn more about pain self-management while connecting with others in pain, offering mutual understanding, and sharing knowledge and coping strategies. We hope the program will help reduce feelings of isolation among participants and strengthen the network of people living with pain across our province.

The Pain Support and Wellness Groups will initially launch in 15 communities: Chilliwack, Fort St. John, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Salmon Arm, Smithers, Terrace, Trail, Vernon, and Victoria. We hope to extend the program to new communities in 2020.

As with all of our work, we have engaged people with pain in all levels of this project. An advisory committee has guided us on the major program elements, our Facebook community has determined a name for the program, and people with lived experience of pain will be recruited to facilitate the groups. We will continue to listen to the voices of people living with pain as we launch, adjust the model and expand the program. 

We’re currently looking for volunteer facilitators in the communities highlighted above. If you live with pain and would like to get involved in building a network to support others living with pain in your community, I encourage you to learn more about the role and what we're looking for in facilitators . If you’re interested in joining a group, please stay tuned for updates in upcoming newsletters or check our website . Later this summer, we’ll share more information about meeting times, locations, and how to register for your local Pain Support and Wellness Group.

These groups will provide an additional option for people needing support in our province. We’ll continue to build on our menu of resources and create options for support, education and care for people living with pain in BC. 

Remembering Brian Warriner

February 17, 1946 - May 12, 2019

Brian Warriner was an esteemed anaesthesiologist and a long-time advocate of pain management. He played an instrumental role in the development of our organization. Michael Negraeff, a Pain BC Co-Founder, shares a few words on the legacy Brian leaves behind in his recent passing.

"Brian Warriner was a true leader. He had an enormous impact on the development of pain management services in BC. Brian was the Department Head of UBC Anesthesia in 2004 when I started working at Vancouver General Hospital, looking after people with pain in the Spine Clinic. Brian, in a way that only Brian could do, helped open doors to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) leadership and suddenly we had an executive sponsor working with us to conduct research into how we could improve the lives of the 1 million people living in the VCH region. He even came on several trips with us – to Calgary, to Portland, to Powell River – to see what other communities were doing. There was something about pain management work that tugged at Brian’s heart. He wanted to see peoples’ care and quality of life improved even though he himself was never deeply involved in providing chronic pain management.

I think it is safe to say that without Brian, there would be no Pain BC today. He kicked off that journey of system leadership that began with VCH, and from there, the dominos began falling – engaging VCH leadership, which led to a provincial initiative called the BCPPIC (BC Provincial Pain Initiative Committee), which led to a business case we produced for the province, which led to a meeting with senior executives in the Ministry of Health, which led to the suggestion that we should start a not-for-profit that the government could work with and fund. That was in 2008, and that not-for-profit idea became Pain BC. He came along for that entire 4-year journey, opening doors and removing roadblocks. He even allowed us to use his office and personal assistant as Pain BC’s mailing address for several years while Pain BC gained its footing. It’s these seemingly small but impactful actions that made him an effective leader and enabler of change. He was a compassionate and caring man who did whatever he could do to help us realize our vision. 

Brian once told me that this journey we were on for pain management change was a 10-to-15 year path. I thought we could have it done in less than 5 years. He was right, and we are still going! He had the steady hand to support our fledgling mission and keep us realistic about the pace. He believed in what we were doing. I know he was very proud of what Pain BC became. He was very happy to see all the branches of initiatives that have sprung off from the trunk of Pain BC. A lot has changed in 15 years since he opened the first door.

On a personal level, his support for my leadership meant a lot to me. Leadership of change is an often unconventional, always a tangled and sometimes lonely path. He knew that and prepared me for it, and it’s unlikely I would have had the staying power for it without his mentorship. I will miss him, his comradeship and his unconditional support. Thank you, Brian."

Coaching for Health: A free phone-based coaching program for people with pain

Newest Pain Waves podcast episode

In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we discuss how our free Coaching for Health program is helping people with pain learn self-management skills, regain function and improve their well-being. We’re joined by Dorota Hedzelek, Pain BC’s Director of Support Services, who provides a detailed discussion on what the Coaching for Health program is, its benefits and how it can be accessed. We’re also joined by Ada Glustein, a coaching volunteer, and Chantelle Levesque, a coaching client, both of whom have lived experience with pain. They share their unique perspectives on the program and highlight some of the outcomes they’ve experienced as a result of their participation.

Feedback opportunity: CIHR Strategic Plan for research priorities

Accepting feedback until June 28, 2019

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is seeking feedback from the public regarding their next Strategic Plan. As less than 1.5% of research funding in Canada goes towards pain research, we encourage you to take part in this consultation to share your health research priorities. Anyone interested can participate by taking the survey and joining the discussion forum. Questions related to this consultation can be directed to [email protected].

Ask an expert about caregiving: July 18, 2019

Caregivers play a vital role in the lives of people with persistent pain. It takes strength, patience, and energy to support a person living with pain, so it’s important caregivers feel well supported in managing their own well-being.

Join Pain BC and Lacie White from the Family Caregivers of BC for a live Ask the Expert forum discussion on July 18, 2019 from 1:00-2:30pm PST , during which you’ll be able to anonymously ask questions and learn more about caregiver well-being and the supports and services available to caregivers in BC. Please note that in order to participate in the live forum, you will need to create a Live Plan Be account. Instructions for doing so can be found here .

If you would like to ask a question but aren’t able to attend the live discussion, please post your questions to the forum in advance or email [email protected] , and Lacie will respond during the live discussion on July 18. 

Opportunity to participate: UBC interview study on clinical trials for prescription drugs

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is looking to interview people in pain who have participated in a clinical trial for prescription drugs.

Clinical trials are an important part of developing new drugs and providing the best medical care. However, about 4 in every 10 clinical trials are either not published or only published after a long delay. When clinical trials are not published, their results are not available to the wider scientific community, making it more for researchers, doctors and others to know which drugs are safe and effective.

For detailed information about this study and how to participate, please click on the link below.

BCPSQC 2020 Quality Awards

Launched in 2009, the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council (BCPSQC) Quality Awards celebrate improvements to quality of care in British Columbia. They are seeking nominations for their 2020 Quality Awards, which celebrate projects conducted within 4 areas of care (staying healthy, getting better, living with illness or disability, and coping with end of life). They also provide individual awards to inspiring patients, caregivers and health care professionals.

Winners are recognized in a variety of ways, including being awarded a $2,500 sponsorship, receiving plaques at their  Health Talks, and free attendance at their annual Quality Forum .

Opportunity to participate: Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Study

UBC researchers are looking for participants to join their study to test the use of 2 different creams for relieving diabetic nerve pain. Participants will receive each cream for 3 months, with their total participation lasting 6 months.

In the news

Pain BC programs and initiatives are funded, in whole or in part, by the Government of British Columbia.