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CPS & PAIN BC APPLAUD 
CANADIAN PAIN TASK FORCE REPORT
CALLING FOR NATIONAL ACTION ON CHRONIC PAIN

En français

July 18, 2019 – Vancouver, BC – Pain BC and the Canadian Pain Society welcome the first report by the Canadian Pain Task Force, released to the public today by Health Canada. The report assesses the current state of chronic pain care, education and research in Canada and highlights the profound impact of chronic pain on Canadians. It notes the disparities in health care available to people with pain across the country and calls for policy coordination and resources to address existing gaps and inequities, and to improve care for all Canadians with pain.

Highlights of the report include:

• There is a global consensus that chronic pain is a significant chronic disease in its own right and as such, needs concerted attention. This is not reflected in the current state in Canada.
• Care for chronic pain is largely dependent on where people live and what type of insurance coverage they have.
• People living with chronic pain need better access to a range of treatment services beyond medication, including psychological support, physical therapies, integrated healthcare services, and others.
• There is a clear deficit in education of health professionals in the causes, types, underlying mechanisms, and effects of pain, as well as how best to treat it.
• Efforts to reduce the number of opioid-related overdose deaths in Canada have had significant consequences on chronic pain patients, including increased stigma and reduced access to treatment. For some patients, it has also resulted in inappropriate prescribing practices such as abrupt stoppage of opioids or tapering without consideration of the risks associated with withdrawal or the medical needs of patients.
• Data and evidence need to be improved to make more informed decisions on individual treatment, health system change, and policy.

The full report can be read at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/canadian-pain-task-force/report-2019.html

The Canadian Pain Task Force was formed by the Government of Canada in March 2019 to assess the current state of pain in Canada and to recommend an improved approach to addressing pain in our country. The Task Force brings together eight experts, including those who have lived experience with persistent pain, researchers and health care providers. The Task Force is informed by an External Advisory Panel made up of 15 additional experts with lived experience and/or backgrounds in research, education, clinical care.

“This report makes Health Canada aware of what Canadians with pain have known for too long: that pain care is largely not accessible, many health care providers lack the knowledge and skills to manage pain and breakthroughs in research are hampered by lack of funding. We hope this report lays the foundation for a national pain strategy that will improve the lives of Canadians who live with pain,” said Maria Hudspith, co-chair of the Canadian Pain Task Force and Executive Director of Pain BC.

“As an anesthesiologist specializing in the care of children living with chronic pain, I am completely passionate about preventing and treating this costly and often devastating disease that affects 7 million Canadians including children. I am optimistic that this report lays a foundation for action, which is urgently required to build capacity in education and research, and reduce disparities in care,” said Professor Fiona Campbell, co-chair of the Canadian Pain Task Force and President of the Canadian Pain Society.

“I have lived with daily pain for over twenty-five years. Most of the doctors I have seen throughout this time have little understanding of how to treat it, leaving me to manage the pain and medications on my own. The federal government making pain treatment a priority with the Task Force and this - the first of three reports - gives me hope that I will someday be able to access more treatments allowing me to participate fully with my family and society,” said Linda Wilhelm, member of the Canadian Pain Task Force, President of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, and person with pain.

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About the Canadian Pain Society

The Canadian Pain Society is a society of scientists, health professionals, and patient partners who have a vested interest in pain research and management. As a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain, the Canadian Pain Society supports the treatment of pain as a basic human right and is currently advocating for a Canadian National Pain Strategy.

About Pain BC

Pain BC is a collaborative registered charity comprised of people in pain, health care providers, researchers, and other supporters. Founded in 2008, our mission is to improve the lives of people in pain through empowerment, education, and innovation. Partnerships are the cornerstone of our work – we collaborate with health authorities, regulatory bodies, governments, other NGOs, health professional associations, and businesses to achieve our mission.

CONTACTS

Kathryn Sutton
Director, Communications, Pain BC 
(604) 723-7411
Email Kathryn

Hilary Robinson
Association Manager, Canadian Pain Society 
(416) 494-1440 Ext. 221
Email Hilary

Dr. Fiona Campbell, BSc, MD, FRCA 
President, Canadian Pain Society
(416) 813-7451
Email Fiona

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Dear CPS Members,

It is with heavy hearts that we write about the dissolution of the American Pain Society (APS).

On behalf of the CPS Board of Directors and Senior Leadership, we extend our sympathies regarding the situation, and express admiration and appreciation for the work that continues to be done by our colleagues in the United States.

The pain community is a close-knit one and while we feel the loss of the APS keenly, we also know that the relationships forged between colleagues across the border will continue to flourish.

As we move forward in this new landscape, it’s important to recognize that it’s our collective voice that creates real impact.  While the primary focus of the CPS is the Canadian landscape, we will continue to value the expertise and knowledge of all contributors to the pain community worldwide.

We would also like to take this opportunity to reassure our CPS members that the folding of the APS (under U.S. Chapter 7 bankruptcy) has no direct financial, or other, repercussions on our Society.  CPS remains an active Society and a proud chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

Thank you for your membership in CPS and your support of our community. Working together is what allows us to improve pain care in Canada and live up to our motto: “Better Care, Less Pain, More Gain”.

Sincerely,

The CPS Board of Directors & Senior Leadership

 

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2020 CPS ASM Keynote Speakers Announced! 

We are delighted to announce the following Keynote Speakers for our 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting: 

Dr. David Bennett, Mary Ellen Jeans Lecture Keynote

Dr. Sarah E. Ross, Plenary Keynote

Dr. Sean Mackey, Plenary Keynote

Watch this space for further announcements. 

CPS 41st Annual Scientific Meeting: May 19 - 22, 2020, Calgary, Alberta

 

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Thank you!

Thank you to all those who made our 40th Annual Scientific Meeting such a huge success! To view photos of the event, please click HERE.

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Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announces the establishment of the Canadian Pain Task Force

The Task Force will provide insight on how to better prevent, treat and manage chronic pain

TORONTO, April 3, 2019 /CNW/ - Approximately one in five Canadians currently experiences chronic pain. Chronic pain has significant impacts on an individual's physical and mental health, often preventing them from undertaking everyday activities.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, announced the establishment of the Canadian Pain Task Force at the Canadian Pain Society's 40th Annual Scientific Meeting in Toronto. The Canadian Pain Task Force will help the Government of Canada to address the barriers that may prevent people with chronic pain from receiving the health services they need.

The Minister committed to exploring options for the creation of a national pain task force following a roundtable discussion on chronic pain with clinicians, researchers and people living with chronic pain at the 2018 Opioid Symposium in Toronto. During the discussion, members of the chronic pain community shared the long-standing challenges they face related to stigma and access to treatment. They also emphasized that the response to the opioid crisis was exacerbating these challenges, by contributing to stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours around opioid prescribing and use, and inconsistencies in access to treatment services.

The eight-member Task Force includes advocates who have lived experience with chronic pain, as well as researchers and health providers who have experience preventing and managing pain. Dr. Fiona Campbell, President of the Canadian Pain Society and Anesthesiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and Ms. Maria Hudspith, founding Executive Director of Pain BC, will co-chair the group. They will work with an independent advisory panel and will consult with stakeholders and governments across the country over the course of the next three years to:

• Assess how chronic pain is currently addressed in Canada;
• Identify best practices to prevent and manage chronic pain; and
• Disseminate their findings to facilitate the implementation of these practices across the country.

The Task Force will submit three reports to Health Canada to reflect each of these three objectives, with the first report due in June 2019.

Other federal government departments and agencies are also engaged in this work and interested in the advice and evidence that the Task Force will provide, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada for which funding was announced in Budget 2019 to set up a Centre of Excellence on Chronic Pain Research for veterans.

The creation of this Task Force is an important step toward addressing the concerns and challenges faced by people who live with chronic pain and toward improving health outcomes for Canadians. By bringing together health providers, pain researchers, and individuals living with chronic pain and their families and caregivers, Health Canada aims to promote greater understanding and awareness of the issues related to chronic pain management in Canada.  READ MORE

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The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor to address the CPS Annual Scientific Meeting

We're delighted to announce that the Federal Minister for Health will address the Canadian Pain's Society 40th Annual Scientific Meeting at 8:30 am on Wednesday, April 3rd. 

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In celebration of International Women's Day 2019 we are proud to showcase the 180 Women who will be presenting at this year's Annual Scientific Meeting! 

Abi Muere, MSc, Adria Fransson, BHScPT, Alexandra Gilbert, BSc,Alexandra M Reda, MD (2021), Ali Khatibi, PhD, Alice Bruneau, BSc, Alison Crawford, MSc, Alix Cagnin, MScA, Allison McPeak, MPH, Allison Verge, BSc, MD Candidate (2021), Amitabh Gulati, MD, Anaïs Lacasse, PhD, Andrea Aternal, BSc, Andrea Furlan, MD PhD, Angela Mailis, MD MSc FRCPC, Anna Bendas, Anni Fan, MSc Candidate, Ariane Ballard, RN, PhD(c), Barbara Gunka, BScN, Beverly Thorn, PhD, ABPP, Brianna Richardson, PhD (Nursing Trainee), Brigitte Kieffer, PhD, Brittany Rosenbloom, MSc, MA, Cara Nania, BA (Hons), Carla Rumeo, BSc Honours Psychology, Carley Ouellette, RN, BScN, MSc Student, Carol McNair, RN(EC), MN, PhD(c), NNP-BC, NP-Pediatrics, Caroline Arbour, RN, PhD, Catherine E Ferland, PhD, Catherine Paré, BSc,Celia Cassiani, MSc, Céline Gélinas, RN, PhD, Cheryl Hutflesz, BScN, MN, RN (EC), NP, Chloé Martineau-Lessard, BSc, Christine Chambers, PhD, Chrystelle El-Khoury, DEC, Churmy Fan, PhD candidate, Claire Arbitre, MD, Colleen Donder, BScPharm, Dawn Richards, PhD, Deanna Befus, PhD, RN, Dominika Bhatia, BSc, Dyana Castillo, BSc (Hons), Eleni Hapidou, PhD,Elizabeth Logan, RN(EC), MN, Eloise Carr, BSc(RN), MSc, PhD, Erica Ehm, Erika Gentile, Fiona Campbell, BSc, MD, FRCA, Fiona Schulte, PhD, Fiona Webster, PhD, Gabriela Ioachim, MSc,Geraldine Martorella, PhD, Hannah Gennis, MA, PhD Student, Heather Buckingham, MSW,Helene Bertrand, MD, CM, CCFP, Irina Kudrina, BSc (med), MDCM, MSc(c), Jaimie Beveridge, BA, Janet Rossant PhD, CC, FRS, FRSC, Javeria Ali Hashmi, Bpharmacy, MSc, PhD, Jennifer A Chandler, BSc, JD, LLM, Jennifer Fazzari, BSc, PhD, Jennifer Nash, BHSc (Hon), DC, Jennifer Stinson, RN-EC, PhD, CPNP, Ji Zhang, MD, PhD, Jillian Vinall, PhD, Jocelyn M Powers, BSc (Hons), Jordana Waxman, MSc, MA, Joy MacDermid, PT PhD, Joyce Lee, RN(EC), MN, Judy Watt-Watson, RN, MSc, PhD, Karen D Davis, PhD, FCAHS, Kate Wahl, BSc, Katherine Fretz, MSc, Katherine Halievski, PhD, Kathryn A Birnie, PhD RPsych, Kathy Xie, BScH(Hons) student,Kaytlin Constantin, MA, Kimberly R Edwards, PhD, Krista Baerg, BSN, MD, FRCPC, Kristen Jastrowski Mano, PhD, Laila Chaudhry, BS, Lana Barry, Med, Lara Genik, MA, Laura Katz, PhD, CPsych, Laura Murphy, PharmD, Laura Rayner, RN MN, Laura S Stone, PhD, Léa Proulx-Bégin, PhD Student, Leah Shafran Topaz, Li Wang, PhD, Lindsay Louise Richter, MSc, Lindsey Yessick, MSc, Ling Lia, MD, Lisa Robinson, MD, FRCP(C), Lisbet Haglund, PhD, Lise Dassieu, PhD, Lori Montgomery, MD CCFP FCFP, Lynn R Gauthier, PhD, M Gabrielle Pagé, PhD, Maham Zain,Mandy Li, MSc, Manon Defaye, Maral Tajarian, PhD, Maria Hudspith, MA, Maria Pavlova, MSc,Mariana Bueno, PhD, Marie-Eve Martel, PhD(c), Marisha Burdeb, MD, Martha G Lopez-Canul, PhD, Mary E Lynch, MD FRCPC, Maryam Ghodrati, BScPT, MScPT, PhD student, Matilda Nowakowski, PhD, Maxime St-Georges, Hon BHSc, Melissa Richard-Lalonde, N, MSc, Melita Giummarra, PhD, Michaela Patton, BS, Michelle Biehl, BHSc, MSc, Michelle Gagnon, PhD,Miranda DiLorenzo, MA, Monakshi Sawhney, NP(Adult), PhD, Monica O'Neill, MA, Monica Parry, MEd, MSc, PhD, NP-Adult, Myriam Asri, BScN, RN, Health Admin MSc, Nancy Carnide, PhD,Natalia Lopez, Natasha Orr, MSc, Neha Thakur, BDS, Master of dental sciences(Thesis), Nicole E MacKenzie, Med, Nicole M Alberts, PhD, Nida Mustafa, BSc, MHSc, PhD Candidate, Noosha Yousefpour, MSc, Oana Bucsea, BSc, Oladayo Oladiran, PhD Candidate, Orit Zamir, MSc, MD, FRCPC, Pamela Holens, PhD, Perri Tutelman, BHSc (Honours), Phichaporn Upho, Doctor of Medicine, Rachel Lee, BHSc (Hons), Rachel Moline, MA, Rebecca Lewinson, BSc, Rebecca Pillai Riddell, PhD, Ruth E Grunau, PhD, S Fatima Lakha, PhD, Sabrina Bouferguene, BA, Salima S J Ladak, BScN, MN, PhD, Samah Hassan, PhD candidate, Samantha Locke, BSc, Mres, Samar Khoury, PhD, Sandra Poulson, MA, MA, BS, Santana Diaz, MD, MSc student, Sarah Sheffe, BA, MScOT, OT Reg (Ont), Sarasa Tohyama, BSc, Satya Sardonicus, Doctor of Chiropractic, Shahrzad Ghazisaeidi, PhD Candidate, Shannon Tansley, BSc, PhD Candidate, Shaunattonie Henry, RN, MN, MAEd PhD Student, Shaylea Badovinac, MA, Sheila O'Keefe-McCarthy, RN BScN MN PhD,Shelly-Anne Li, MSc, Shirin Modarresi, MSc, PhD candidate, Shokoufeh Modanloo, PhD(C), Siv Skarstein, Assosiated Professor, Somayyeh Mohammadi, PhD, Susan Tupper, PT, PhD, Tania Di Renna, Tara Packham, PhD, OTReg (Ont), Terry K Borsook, PhD, Tessa Wihak, MA, Tiffany Got, BSc, Valentina Mihajlovic, BSc (Hons), Vered Valeria Latman, MA, Veronique Gagnon, Vicky Fournier, PGY4 Anesthesiology, Whitney Scott, PhD, Xin Tong, MSc, Yalinie Kulandaivelu, HBSc,Yesmine Krid, MSc, Zakir Uddin, PhD, Zoha Deldar, PhD candidate

 

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Congratulations to Our 2019 First Round Award Winners!

Distinguished Career Award	Dr. Karen Davis (University of Toronto, Krembil Research Institute)
Early Career Award	Dr. Loren Martin (University of Toronto)
Outstanding Pain Mentorship Award	Dr. Ruth Grunau (Alberta Children's Hospital)
Distinguished Service Award	Dr. Ken Craig (University of British Columbia)

 

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