Many patients in the Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC) service area were searching for ways to deal with chronic pain, and the healthcare staff at the regional hospital took notice. Chief Nursing Officer, Linn Block, says they held a pain management seminar this past April and were surprised to have more than 100 people in attendance. “So we know this is a huge issue that is affecting many people in our area,” she says. “Unfortunately, many of these folks are suffering in silence because they have given up hope of relief from their pain.” This month, MRHC has added a specialist to their team to address these issues. Dr. Robert Rossi is an experienced Pain Clinic Specialist and can offer a new surgical procedure specifically to combat chronic pain to qualifying patients with the Spectra WaveWriter Spinal Cord Stimulator system. “When you feel pain, it’s because nerves are sending a pain signal to your brain,” Block says. “The spinal cord stimulator system sends electrical impulses that trigger nerve fibers along the spinal cord, masking the pain message traveling to the brain.” Dr. Rossi will be seeing patients once a month at MRHC. There is no need to have a referral to schedule an appointment for an initial evaluation. Only those who meet specific requirements will be deemed suitable candidates for the spinal cord stimulators. MRHC is also offering weekly pain clinic services from Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), Brian Jacobs and Christopher Hansen. They both provide treatments for arthritis, knee pain, shingles, lower back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, work-related injuries and much more.
