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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Heals on Wheels: Development and Implementation of Community-Based Workshops for Integrative, Whole Person Pain Care
Catherine Justice1, Jadyn E Knox2, Stefanie Stevenson3
1Integrative Health Division, Department of Medicine, Hennepin Healthcare Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Introduction:
Chronic pain is a complex and pervasive issue that disproportionately affects marginalized and underserved populations, driven in part by healthcare access barriers. Chronic pain affects multiple domains of life, warranting the need for accessible, holistic, whole-person, evidence-based care. The Heals on Wheels (HoW) program's multidisciplinary team developed and implemented community-based integrative pain care workshops for underserved communities throughout Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Methods:
The 4-week curriculum included 60-120 minute-long weekly workshops hosted by community organizations. A pre- and post-workshop weekly progress sheet questionnaire explored perceptions of pain, overall state, favorite moments, and future suggestions. Responses were analyzed thematically.
Results:
Throughout 2022-2025, 13 workshop series occurred with 9 different community organizations. Total attendance was 369 (average 7.10/session) with 265 weekly progress sheets completed by 163 unique individuals (71.82%). Average pre-visit pain was 5.40; post-visit was 3.26 (-2.14). Themes of before group state were: 1) Stable (2) Health Concerns (3) Overwhelm and (4) Hope. Themes after group were: (1) Relaxed, calmer, tired (2) Improvement, relief (3) Gratitude, hope and (4) Neutral. Roughly 1/10 participants highlighted the importance of sharing stories. Themes for future suggestions were mainly expressions of positive feedback; other themes included wanting more time, session structure, and specific activities.
Conclusion:
The HoW workshops are feasible as an innovative and accessible community-based integrative pain care model.
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