For Scarborough residents living with chronic pain, accessing specialized treatment has often meant travelling outside the community for care. With one in five Canadians living with chronic pain, the need for timely, coordinated treatment is significant.

A new partnership between SHN and Afiya Spine & Pain Institute is helping address that need. Deepa and Narinder Lal took the initiative to support this work, funding the purchase of equipment to help establish the new pain clinic in Scarborough.

Led by SHN physician and interventional pain specialist Dr. Zameer Pirani, the Afiya Scarborough clinic will serve as SHN's primary pain clinic. Patients will have access to specialist assessments, image-guided procedures and ongoing follow-up care to help manage complex chronic pain conditions.
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“Establishing a dedicated pain clinic located near all three of SHN’s hospitals allows us to bring services closer to our patients, reduce long wait times, and deliver equitable care for the families across the region. The generous support from the SHN Foundation allows us to expand our services to Scarborough, offering image-guided, evidence-based treatments that focus on helping patients return to work and improve their quality of life,” said Dr. Pirani.

The clinic will also support patients living with sickle cell disease, a chronic blood disorder that can cause severe episodes of pain. SHN can refer patients from its Emergency Departments and Adult Sickle Cell Disease Clinic to Afiya for additional chronic pain management services while they continue receiving care at SHN.

The partnership is another example of how SHN Foundation's Love, Scarborough campaign is helping Scarborough climb higher by supporting more equitable access to healthcare.

“The Afiya Scarborough clinic is exactly the kind of partnership we are developing to close gaps between hospital and community care,” said Dr. Martin Betts, Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President of Medical Programs, SHN.

For patients managing chronic pain, having access to coordinated treatment can mean more than relief from symptoms. It can mean returning to work, spending time with family and getting back to the everyday activities that matter most.