VA Hospital Receives American Pain Society Award

From James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital:

The Comprehensive Pain Center (CPC) at received its second Clinical Center of Excellence Award from the American Pain Society in a presentation May 17 during the annual APS conference.

“Dr. Michael E. Clark, and the CPC make extraordinary contributions in identifying and improving the quality of life for veterans and our active duty service members,” said Kathleen Fogarty, Tampa director. “This award places our CPC among the best of the best.”

The Tampa CPC, which is the largest and most comprehensive pain center in the VA and accepts complex pain referrals from all U.S. states and territories, first received this distinction in 2007. As one of five 2012 awardees and one of two repeat winners (the Division of Pain Medicine at Stanford University is the other), the CPC had to meet APS’s rigorous criteria for repeat applicants that required sustained excellence in pain care along with continued enhancements in clinical pain services, research, training and community involvement.

The CPC in Tampa, will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2013 and treats more than 7,200 veterans. The CPC also serves as the National Pain Team Training site for VA pain teams seeking to enhance pain services or to pursue accreditation for interdisciplinary pain programs.