$6M (PRIME) Grant Awarded 

To Big Bear Valley Hospital 

“We are looking forward to developing the program and working with the community

to meet the needs of our patients and improve quality of life for those that live

with chronic non-malignant pain.”

 

Thursday May 19th, Bear Valley Community Healthcare District proudly announced that the Hospital has been awarded up to $6,000,000 from the California Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS).  To qualify for the funding there was a competitive grant process to serve, underserve populations over the next 5 years. The award comes after an in-depth proposal was written to help one of Big Bear Valley’s most vulnerable populations - the non-malignant chronic pain management patients.

Under this funding Bear Valley Community Healthcare District will implement a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach which is viewed as best practice for meeting the needs of patients suffering from non-malignant chronic pain.

Bear Valley Community Healthcare District will be hiring a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) to provide program oversight, as well as provide case management and care coordination. This approach will lead to a more comprehensive service delivery which will in turn provide improved health outcomes for pain management patients. The program will be a collaborative effort between various BVCHD departments, including the Emergency Department, Family Health Clinic, and Tele-health, along with other multi-modal service providers as deemed appropriate.

Sheri Murisck Director of Outpatient Services stated: “Our goal is to meet the needs of our patients through all stages of pain management through program development and networking with existing community resources.” 

Through the PRIME grant, Bear Valley Community Healthcare District will be providing a gap-fill service, as there are currently no services of this kind available in the Big Bear area. Bear Valley Community Healthcare District will be looking to partner with local agencies, as well as the community at large to establish quality healthcare for this population, close to home.

Kerri Jex, Emergency Department Manager stated, “The PRIME Project is an exciting opportunity for the hospital to grow resources and expand programs that will largely benefit our community and provide valuable resources that are currently unavailable or not accessible on the mountain. We are looking forward to developing the program and working with the community to meet the needs of our patients and improve quality of life for those that live with chronic non-malignant pain.”

The PRIME grant is just one of the areas that Bear Valley Community Healthcare District is looking to expand and enhance services provided to local residents, as well as visitors to the Big Bear Valley. The current team at Bear Valley Community Healthcare District is committed to the enhancement of future services to ensure sustainability as the leader in local healthcare. 


About Bear Valley Community Hospital:

Founded in 1974, Bear Valley Community Hospital specializes in the areas of coagulation, hematology, microbiology and urinalysis. The hospital offers respiratory and physical therapies. It provides 24-hour emergency and skilled nursing care services. Bear Valley Community Hospital’s diagnostic imaging services include CT scan, ultrasound, X-ray and mammography. The hospital operates a family health center that offers several types of medical care solutions for children, adults and senior citizens. In addition, it specializes in inpatient and outpatient services for ophthalmic and cosmetic surgeries.

About Non Malignant Pain Management:

The International Society for the Study of Pain defines pain as an “unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.”1 Chronic nonmalignant pain (CNMP) is defined variously as pain lasting 3 months or more, or as pain persisting beyond the time of expected healing. It can begin with trauma (e.g., back strain) or disease (e.g., pancreatitis) or can occur de novo (e.g., fibromyalgia, daily migraine).