$635,000 grant from the State of Maryland extends program’s reach and impact
As part of its commitment to help combat the opioid crisis, the State of Maryland has awarded Kennedy Krieger Institute $635,000 to enhance a specialized program for the prevention of opioid dependence, abuse and addiction in children and adolescents with chronic pain. The grant will allow the Institute’s Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program to include opiate avoidance education and outreach to community pediatricians and primary care physicians and will increase the program’s patient capacity.
The funding will expand the reach and services of Kennedy Krieger’s chronic pain rehabilitation program. Individuals in the program will receive evaluation and treatment recommendations. When appropriate, treatment will be provided from a continuum of services available from an interdisciplinary team at Kennedy Krieger. The continuum ranges from outpatient assessment and recommendations in a chronic pain rehabilitation clinic, to weekly outpatient cognitive-behavioral and physical therapies, intensive interdisciplinary day treatment rehabilitation, or intensive interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation, if needed.
The funding will also help Kennedy Krieger expand its community support of patients and parents to reduce recidivism; provide training to community providers--especially in rural areas, via direct education and tele-education--and develop a statewide advisory group.
“While the opioid crisis has fueled discussion and debate about the concerns with prescribing opioids to manage chronic pain, Kennedy Krieger has been at the forefront of non-narcotic pediatric pain treatment and rehabilitation, “ said Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute. “Our program is one of only a few in the country that provides children, teens and young adults with the tools they need to conquer chronic pain and get their lives back. We’d like to thank Governor Larry Hogan, the Maryland General Assembly and the Maryland Department of Health for this grant. It will allow us to offer our unique services to even more young people with the goal of helping them overcome their chronic pain, and regain function, without the use of opioids.”
Kennedy Krieger’s Pain Rehabilitation Program treats patients who experience chronic pain from a variety of medical diagnoses such as sports injuries, musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, sickle cell anemia, chronic abdominal pain, complex regional pain syndrome and pelvic pain. Its patients range from six to 21 years of age. An interdisciplinary team, which includes a pain medicine specialist, physical therapist, cognitive-behavioral therapist and nurse, evaluates each patient and develops individualized recommendations for a treatment plan that targets each patient’s unique needs, while also considering the need for care from other specialists, such as education, psychiatry, physical medicine, neurology, anesthesiology and gastroenterology. The clinicians work with patients and families to promote healthy functioning, develop and apply pain coping skills, and mitigate the impact of pain, anxiety and demoralization on the patient’s and family’s daily life.
About Kennedy Krieger Institute:
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, Kennedy Krieger Institute in the greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region serves 24,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services, and school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children, adolescents and young adults with developmental issues, from mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop, while at the same time pioneering new interventions and methods of early diagnosis. Visit KennedyKrieger.org for more information about Kennedy Krieger.
