Canada chronic pain programs get $5M investment from feds
Posted November 7, 2022 6:52 pm.
Last Updated November 7, 2022 7:20 pm.
The federal government is putting a further $5 million into programs aimed at supporting those living with chronic pain.
Canada’s Mental Health and Addictions Minister, Carolyn Bennett, announced the funding in Vancouver on Monday.
“Nearly eight million Canadians live with chronic pain. This represents roughly one-in-five people ranging from children to older adults,” she said. “Despite those numbers, chronic pain is largely invisible and those affected often feel disbelieved or stigmatized.”
Thank you, @Pain_Canada, for inviting me to open your conference today and speak to our government’s work to improve the lives of people living with this often invisible disease. pic.twitter.com/uLXaLxrPaU
— Carolyn Bennett (@Carolyn_Bennett) November 7, 2022
Bennett says the money is part of an effort to stop people suffering from chronic pain from turning to the toxic drug supply for relief.
“This is unacceptable. We have all heard about people who were cut off their meds and go to the street for their drugs,” she said.
British Columbia is on pace to surpass 2,000 annual overdose deaths in 2022. On Monday, the BC Coroner’s Service said at least 171 people died from toxic drugs in September, marking 24 consecutive months with a death toll over 150.
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From January to September of this year, the BC Coroners Service reported 1,644 people dying from toxic drugs, which it called the “largest number ever recorded in the first nine months of a calendar year.”
The bulk of the federal investment, Bennett says, will go toward expanding the Pain Canada Network.
Locally, the minister says just over $500,000 of the federal money, will go toward chronic pain services for 2SLGBTQ+ people, and those in the Chinese, Punjabi and Arabic-speaking communities.
-With files from Charlie Carey
