Did you know a third of the people living in Canada don’t have dental insurance? And in 2022, one in four Canadians said they avoid visiting an oral health care professional because of the cost. Lack of access to dental care can have wide-reaching impacts, such as more expensive treatments and worsening health outcomes for a variety of conditions, including chronic pain. It’s a relationship that goes both ways: poor oral health can worsen chronic pain, and chronic pain can have a detrimental impact on oral health.

The Government of Canada has announced the roll-out details of the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Launched in December 2023, the plan is intended to ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for up to nine million uninsured Canadian residents who have an annual family income of under $90,000. A phased roll out has already begun with seniors and will continue in the coming months with people who have a valid Disability Tax Credit and children under 18. All remaining eligible Canadian residents will be able to apply online starting in 2025.

Coaching for Health is a free telephone coaching program designed to help people living with pain learn self-management skills, regain function and improve their well-being. Coaching can help you get started with self-management and encourage your ability to change behaviours that impact your health. Until recently, the popular program maintained a wait list, but we are happy to announce that we have eliminated the waiting period to access the program through staffing and triaging improvements.

The program is accessed through a referral from a licensed health professional. Ask your doctor, physiotherapist or other health care professional for a referral or, better yet, download the referral form and take it to your next appointment. If you do not have access to a health care provider or are finding it difficult to get a referral to the program, our Pain Support Line staff can help. Get in touch with us at 1-844-880-PAIN (7246) or supportline@painbc.ca.

Making Sense of Pain: Online is a free nine-week program for people living with pain designed to empower you to improve your quality of life and well-being. The weekly 90-minute online group learning program will be facilitated by Pain BC staff. Using a combination of teaching, discussion and practice activities, each week will offer tools and resources to support you in your pain management while providing an opportunity to share, listen and learn from others who live with chronic pain too.

Full Blume Wellness is hosting a therapeutic photography project for women living with chronic pain and/or illness to express themselves and connect with others over their shared experiences. Each day a photo prompt will be featured and participants will be encouraged to respond with a photo they took along with a few sentences about their experience related to the topic.

Participation is free and takes place in a closed Facebook group beginning February 25, 2024.

Join Dr. Lindsay Rite and Ms. Liaskas of CHANGEpain for a deeper understanding of chronic pain and its scientific underpinnings. This event is taking place in person at CHANGEpain's new clinic at 350 - 3605 Gilmore Way, Burnaby on February 27 and March 7, 2024. There's also the option to attend either session virtually.

This event is one of a series CHANGEpain is offering to promote the health and well-being of members of their community as well as remote attendees. To check out other upcoming events, visit: changepain.ca/free-health-series

Power Over Pain Portal is offering a free webinar on March 4, 2024 at 9:00AM PST on harm reduction and its relationship to the treatment of chronic pain. Topics covered will include the link between mental and physical health, as well as the principles of harm reduction.

Recordings of the webinar will be available for those who cannot attend the live session. To check out other upcoming webinars from Power Over Pain Portal, visit: portal.poweroverpain.ca/events

The Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre has formulated four evidence-based recommendations for cannabis for medical purposes and chronic cancer and non-cancer pain. The aim of these recommendations is to provide guidance for health care providers, patients, caregivers, policymakers, and the public.

The Michael DG. DeGroote National Pain Centre is seeking the public's feedback on these recommendations prior to publication and dissemination. The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, and the deadline to provide feedback is 9:00AM PST on February 29, 2024.

The Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre guideline group has formulated evidence-based recommendations and a good practice statement for the update of the 2017 Canadian guideline on Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain. While not legally enforceable "rules" for prescribing, the final guideline will be very influential on opioid prescribing pain in Canada, making it highly relevant for people who use opioid pain medications as part of their pain management.

The Michael DG. DeGroote National Pain Centre is seeking the public's feedback on these recommendations prior to publication and dissemination. The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete, and the deadline to provide feedback is 9:00AM PST on February 29, 2024.

The Power Over Pain Portal for Youth is an online tool designed to help young people manage their pain. Researchers are seeking participants aged 12-18 who have been experiencing pain for three months or longer. Participation will involve answering online questionnaires, using the Power Over Pain Portal for eight weeks, and optionally completing a feedback interview. All participants will receive volunteer hours and a gift card.