A provincial investment will allow Health Sciences North to better provide care to patients with chronic pain.

The 750 thousand dollar investment will implement the Integrated Chronic Pain Management Program which will be a multi-week program that treats suffering patients in other ways than just medication and injections.

HSN’s VP of Patient Services, Dr. David McNeil says this is something they have wanted for a while.

Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than the expected length of normal healing and patients dealing with it have a higher risk of depression, mental illness and substance abuse.

Director of HSN’s Surgical Program, Dr. David Boyle says there are lots of patients in the community who suffer from chronic pain.

Boyle says chronic pain never goes away but it can be much better managed.