The Franciscan Chronic Pain Management Program has relocated from Tacoma to the Resource Center on the campus of St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood.

The program, which started 30 years ago at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, has helped more than 1,000 men and women learn skills they need to manage chronic pain and to lead more active, productive lives.

Chronic pain is generally the result of a disease or an injury, and can take on a life of its own long after the initial condition has healed.

At the Chronic Pain Management Program, the staff’s approach to rehabilitation emphasizes comprehensive patient education, graduated physical conditioning and reactivation, and intensive training in coping skills and mind-body approaches to managing pain. The staff also helps individuals:

·        Get back to work

·        Reduce their reliance on pain medications

·        Increase daily activities

·        Avoid debilitating pain flare-ups

Upon completion of the program, more than two-thirds of patients have shown significant gains in daily functioning and individuals have reported, on average, a doubling of their amount of physical activity. For more information about the Chronic Pain Management Program at St. Clare Hospital, call (253) 985-6560.

St. Clare Hospital, 11315 Bridgeport Way SW in Lakewood, is part of the Franciscan Health System.