The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published new Guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children and, for the first time, appointed a patient partner – Justina Marianayagam – to a Guideline Development Group (GDG) responsible for its development.

As a volunteer facilitator, I feel validated and that I have purpose in my life. People have so much to share and everyone’s story is different, but the one thing we have in common is chronic pain.

Over the past 10 years my own understanding of pain has evolved greatly. Most importantly, it has grown to view the patient as a whole person and to recognize that pain, despite the wordy definitions, is a human experience that is unique and individual. As such, it requires health care providers to take a 30,000ft view and attempt to better understand the person as more than just their pain condition.

Pain BC is proud to partner with BC Children’s Hospital on Partnering for Pediatric Pain, a one-day virtual symposium on pain in pediatric hospital care on Friday, March 5th, 2021.

Drs. Najam Mian and Kshitij Chawla are physiatrists and pain medicine specialists who, in addition to co-founding the Canadian Pain & Regenerative Institute, dedicate their time to supporting Pain BC’s mission. Najam is the Clinical Hub Team Lead for Pain BC’s BC ECHO for Chronic Pain and Kshitij is a member of the Pain BC Board.

The overdose crisis has taken the lives of more than 6,500 British Columbians and more than 17,000 Canadians since 2016. Many of those who have died have several things in common: they were mostly male, a significant number worked in construction and supporting industries, and more than half were living with physical pain.

The dual public health crises of COVID-19 and the overdose crisis continue to significantly impact people who live with pain in Canada. It’s in this particularly urgent context that we welcome the news that Health Canada has fast-tracked and strengthened the mandate of the Canadian Pain Task Force.

Two patient advocates living with chronic pain who have teamed up to create a new Pain Toolkit for Neuropathic Pain. The new resource is specifically designed to support people living with neuropathic pain with self-management tips and recommendations, and help health care professionals initiate and guide self-management conversations with patients.

Two patient partners from Squamish, BC, Zach and Isabel Jordan, played a critical role in the development and publication of the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Commission on Delivering transformative action in pediatric pain.

The Canadian Pain Task Force delivered its second report to Health Canada on November 6, 2020 following a series of extensive in-person and online consultations from July 2019 through August 2020 to identify best practices to better understand, prevent, and manage chronic pain.

This year’s conference was offered virtually and saw the greatest attendance since its inception more than a decade ago – more than 600 people registered from across Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Interdisciplinary Pain Education Day annual conference - taking place on October 23, 2020 this year - has grown into one of BC’s most important events to foster ongoing pain education and networking opportunities for health care providers.

When you first hear the name “Coaching for Health”, you may have images in your head of a coach with a towel, sweating it out with a client, exerting all kinds of energy with a new exercise – but being a coach over these past few years has looked a lot different for me.

Looking back on my path to becoming a volunteer with Pain BC's Pain Support and Wellness Groups, I can best describe it as a series of seemingly random events. I first found out about Pain BC through an ad on the internet that my wife shared with me. That ad then led me to meet with Pain BC’s Support Services team. At the time, I had no idea that meeting would also serve as an interview to become a support group facilitator – an opportunity I am truly grateful for.

During COVID-19, Pain BC continues to operate at full capacity and is rapidly mobilizing to address the emerging needs of people with pain. Our work in education, support services, research and advocacy have and will continue to pivot to meet the unprecedented challenges of this time. We’re in this with you.