Global News

B.C. Addictions Minister dealing with chronic pain issue from opioid crisis: Health Minister

January 18, 2018

'Over to you, Addictions Minster: that is the response of Health Minister Adrian Dix to a call by an advocacy group for more provincial government help for people suffering from chronic pain.

It’s an unintended consequence of the overdose crisis: B.C. doctors prescribing fewer opioids to reduce addiction.

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Help exists for chronic pain sufferers

January 17, 2018

'A significant number of people in the province are affected by chronic pain, according to Pain BC director Jennifer Hanson. One in five British Columbians suffer from the condition, which translates to roughly 4,000 Powell River residents.

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Simi Sara Show: Chronic pain patients need more than opioids, and province must act: B.C. advocate

January 16, 2018

Pain BC Executive Director, Maria Hudspith, speaks on the Simi Sara show about how people living with chronic pain need options beyond prescription opioids, and it’s up to the British Columbia government to provide more services such as physiotherapy.

Listen to the show here.

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Chronic pain patients need more than opioids: B.C. advocate

January 15, 2018

'VANCOUVER -- People who live with chronic pain need options beyond prescription opioids, and it's up to the British Columbia government to provide more services such as physiotherapy, says the head of a group that supports patients and their families.

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Chronic Pain Events and Resources in Powell River

January 10, 2018

Chronic pain resources and tools for people living in Powell River from the Powell River Division of Family Practice.
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Updated Canadian guideline for opioid prescribing released

May 08, 2017

An updated version of the national guideline for opioid prescribing was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Monday May 8, 2017.

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Pain BC partners with BC coalition to end distracted driving

May 02, 2017

DId you know that every year, since 2011, distracted driving has killed and injured more people than impaired driving? It is now the leading cause of death and injury on BC roadways. Tragically, it kills an average of 81 people per year and injures tens of thousands more - and it's only getting worse.

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Pain BC receives $1.5 million to support provincial pain summit outcomes

March 30, 2017

'VICTORIA - Health Minister Terry Lake announced $1.5 million in new funding today to support British Columbians living with chronic pain. 

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Letters: Untreated chronic pain is the real story

March 08, 2017

'Re: B.C. man with PTSD got opioid, painkiller prescriptions from 10 doctors, Feb. 22

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Letters: untreated chronic pain is the real story

March 04, 2017

Pain BC's Executive Director, Maria Hudspith, wrote a letter to the editor of the Vancouver Sun in response to a recent article titled  B.C.

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Chronic pain sufferers need help from the province, say advocates

February 17, 2017

'While much of the health care funding announced on Friday has been earmarked to tackle the opioid crisis, chronic pain sufferers caught in the middle hope the province will use some of it to put a system in place to help them.

One out of every five people in British Columbia lives with chronic pain. For Ada Glustein, an active Vancouver senior, the pain was initially all-consuming.

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CBC Radio

Pain BC's executive director & Dr. Michael Negraeff talk pain, opioids & provincial Summit

February 17, 2017

Pain BC's Executive Director, Maria Hudspith, and Pain BC's co-founder Dr. Michael Negraeff discuss opioids, pain, and the 2nd Provincial Pain Summit on the CBC Almanac.
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Chronic pain sufferers need help from the province, say advocates

February 17, 2017

'While much of the health care funding announced on Friday has been earmarked to tackle the opioid crisis, chronic pain sufferers caught in the middle hope the province will use some of it to put a system in place to help them.

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National Opioid Guidelines Released

New national opioid guidelines released

February 08, 2017

The National Guidelines for use of opioids in chronic non-cancer pain are now out. They were developed by the National Pain Centre at McMaster University and funded by Health Canada. The authors encourage public feedback and comments but have stated that the guidelines are unlikely to change unless compelling evidence that the panel hadn't considered is presented. You can provide your feedback here: http://ow.ly/1xta308AaCI
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'The pain is just never-ending': Making the case for long-term opioid use

February 02, 2017

'Like many drug users, Heather Fugere experimented before she started taking opioids regularly. First there were the Tylenol 3s. Then there was the Tramadol. But it wasn't until a bad fall led her to the emergency ward where she discovered Oxycodone. 

"All of a sudden I was pain-free in my back and it was just like living again," Fugere said from her home in Coquitlam, B.C. 

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