Friday, March 06, 2015
Expanding Access to Chronic Pain Treatment for Ottawa-Area Children
Expanding Access to Chronic Pain Treatment for Ottawa-Area Children
Ontario is improving the quality of life for more children and youth living with chronic pain by expanding access to treatments and services at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
The province is investing an additional $881,517 per year in CHEO to help more children suffering from ongoing pain such as migraines, backaches, abdominal pain and tendinitis.
With this new investment, the hospital will be able to treat 106 paediatric chronic pain patients each year compared to 36 last year.
Starting this spring, CHEO will also work with four hospitals across the province as part of a comprehensive network to better assess, prevent, manage and treat paediatric chronic pain patients. Together, the network of hospitals will help children, youth and their families by:- Providing care and services from a range of health care workers such as doctors, specialists and counsellors.
- Ensuring the patient's primary care physician is involved at every step.
- Offering an intensive in-patient rehab program as part of this network at Holland-Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto.
- Reducing wait times, primary care visits and emergency room visits.
Providing children and their families with faster access to the care they need is part of the government's plan to build a better Ontario through its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care, which is providing patients with faster access to the right care, better home and community care, the information they need to stay healthy and a health care system that's sustainable for generations to come.
Quick Facts- The Paediatric Chronic Pain Network includes CHEO; the Hospital for Sick Children and Holland-Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto; McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences Centre; and Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre.
- Ontario is investing $3.6 million per year to the Paediatric Chronic Pain Network.
- It is anticipated that the network will treat an additional 520 children and youth per year.
- A recent study found that that 11 to 38 per cent of children and adolescents will suffer from chronic pain.
- Chronic pain can occur as a result of injury, surgery, trauma, childhood illness or unknown causes.
- Approximately five to eight per cent of these children will develop significant pain-related disability such as social isolation, not attending school, limitations in physical functioning, sleep and mood/anxiety disorders.
Additional ResourcesQuotes
“More children and youth suffering from chronic pain will now have faster access to the care they need through the Paediatric Chronic Pain Network. This integrated approach also ensures that more children and their families will have all of their needs met – from physical to psychological and pharmacological – by their dedicated health care team.”
Dr. Eric Hoskins
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
“CHEO applauds the ministry’s new approach to preventing and managing chronic pain in children and youth. When pain is managed, the rest of a child’s life opens up. Mood and sleep are improved, and everyday functions such as reading and connecting with friends become possible again.”
Alex Munter
CEO, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
“As an athlete and coach, my life was turned upside down when I injured my knee. I was in chronic pain and feeling down. I’m so glad I came across the CHEO team. My life has forever changed. They showed me that pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. And the best part is that I’m back on the ice again!”
Sidney Fisher
16 year-old patient of the CHEO chronic pain program
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