Specialized services: New Space for Pain Clinic in Campbellton
Campbellton, Thursday, May 23, 2019 – After several months of planning and work, the new space housing the Pain Clinic, located on the second floor of the Campbellton Regional Hospital, is now ready. This is excellent news for people suffering from chronic pain in the Restigouche region.
The activities of the Campbellton Pain Clinic began gradually in the late 1990s thanks to an initiative by Dr. Hristo Laevski, an anesthesiologist at the Campbellton Regional Hospital who also trained in chronic pain management at the University of Ottawa. “Due to growing demand and successful interventions, the clinic’s activities were reorganized beginning in October 2016,” said Dr. Laevski. “Additional resources were added, which improved access and reduced waiting times.”
The last stage in this reorganization was to group the clinic’s services in the new space. According to Stéphane Legacy, Vice-President of Outpatient and Professional Services, thanks to investments of approximately $170,000 in renovations and equipment, the clinic’s professionals now have a spacious facility that is easily accessible and is designed for service delivery. “The new space includes consultation rooms, a meeting room, and an exercise and physiotherapy room,” he continued. “I would like to thank Dr. Hristo Laevski, anesthesiologist, and all the team members for their excellent services.”
The Campbellton Pain Clinic team consists of an anesthesiologist, nurse practitioner, physiotherapist, social worker and administrative assistant. According to Sonia L. Barriault, Ambulatory Care Manager, these professionals work as a multidisciplinary team. “We can support the frontline caregivers and, as necessary, redirect patients needing specialized chronic pain management expertise,” she said. “The patients appreciate our one-stop service, which helps improve their quality of life at home and at work.”
The patients seen at the clinic are referred by a family physician or nurse practitioner. Janie Chiasson, nurse practitioner, explained that the clinic offers more than treatment to ease physical pain. “Chronic pain is often seen as an isolated problem but a multidisciplinary approach is key to achieving the best long-term results, hence the importance of the additional services provided at the clinic by a social worker and physiotherapist.” Nearly 200 patients received services for a total of 375 followed last year. “Thanks to this new space, which will allow us to group the various services in one location, we expect to be able to increase our number of patients and follow-ups and provide our clientele with comprehensive care,” she concluded.
From left to right: Sonia Landry-Barriault, Nurse Manager – Ambulatory Care; Milaine Roy, Social Worker; Gilbert Bélanger, Manager – Physiotherapy, Audiology and Speech Therapy; Valérie Babin, Administrative Assistant; Sonia Gallant, Physiotherapist; Dr Hristo Laevski, Anesthesiologist et Chronic Pain Management Specialist; and Janie Chiasson, Nurse Practitioner
