Some patients at chronic pain clinics in Ontario could be forced to find help elsewhere if their intervention clinics close due to some proposed service changes.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and the province want to improve standards for all intervention pain clinics across Ontario and that could leave some patients needing regular injections to relieve their chronic pain out in the cold if it forces the clinics to close.
The proposed regulations would require certified specialists to provide the new standards for CT and/or fluoroscopy services or else the clinics will have to send those patients to other clinics that meet the new standards for nerve blocking injections to treat the chronic pain.
The clinic in Chatham said they will lose several patients a week if the new regulations come into effect.
The college said public consultations were conducted early last year and quality concerns were expressed with some clinics that operated outside of a hospital. On the other side, others felt that it would potentially reduce access to care for chronic pain patients and impose increased costs and administrative burdens on those clinics.
The CPSO said the draft standard was developed in consultation with various stakeholders in the field.
"The draft standard reflects that available research, best practices, and other regulators consider image guidance to be critical when administering nerve blocks for chronic pain," said the CPSO.
Rae Osborn is a patient at the Intervention clinic in Chatham. She told CK News Today the clinic has changed her life for the better. Osborn said she took medications for her chronic pain before but they turned her into a "zombie" and lowered her quality of life.
"I couldn't do community events, I didn't have the energy that I had, I couldn't spend time with my kids and grandkids. I just wasn't able to do all that," said Osborn.
She also felt guilty before her shots because she believed she was a burden on her family.
Osborn hopes the province and the CPSO have a change of heart or provide funding for the clinics to operate under the new rules.
"[Prime Minister] Trudeau just put out some funding for health for the different provinces. So, if some of that funding could be used in Ontario for the equipment and the training, if that's the route they're going to take," Osborn said.
Elizabeth Mortele is also a patient at the pain clinic in Chatham. She told CK News Today she has been getting a nerve blocking injection for her shoulder, arm, ribs, hips, sciatic, and spine for years.
"I was bedridden most of my day, having to use a walker frequently and even a wheel chair to be able to do simple errands. In your forties this should not be a way of life. I had a very active lifestyle prior to my diagnosis. I stayed in bed and could hardly take care of my family let alone myself and was forced to quit a job that I loved," she said. "Prescription medication was keeping me doped up just so I could get some relief from pain. It was a blessing in my life three years ago when I started getting weekly lidocaine injections."
Mortele said the closures would cause great despair, hopelessness, and major mental health challenges, adding that drug abuse and overdose will definitely be of "great concern if patients become desperate for pain relief."
A spokesperson for the Minister of Health told CK News Today that there have been no changes to OHIP-insured services related to the treatment of chronic pain.
"The ministry funds a network of 18 adult and paediatric chronic pain programs based on best practices and established evidence," said Press Secretary for the Minister of Health Hannah Jensen.
The nearest chronic pain clinic to Chatham will be St. Joseph's Health Care in London if the Chatham clinic shuts down.
Both Chatham patients said travelling to London is not practical for them because of the associated costs and injected patients usually are not in any condition to drive back home after the injections.
There is also a movement to try and save the pain clinics. A petition is available by clicking here.