Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association: About NHPCP - Nebraska Pain Initiative

WorkPath

Working Through the Pain

WorkPath is a program of the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association that works to keep or return people in pain to the workforce. WorkPath uses an emerging approach known as palliative care to focus on pain and symptom management by addressing an individual’s medical, functional, psychosocial, and spiritual issues.

This is accomplished through an interdisciplinary team of a social worker, nurse, pharmacist, an individual’s physician, and appropriate community resources. The individual serves as an important part of the team. After an initial assessment participants are provided with recommendations and comprehensive referrals to a variety of resources in the community. WorkPath provides person-centered case management services and follow-up to further support your goal of returning participants to work.

What You Can Expect
The initial assessment includes a comprehensive overview of the individual’s pain journey to date, including a review of symptoms and issues that may be influencing his or her ability to cope with chronic pain. With the individual’s input and involvement, goals are determined and assignments are made for all team members that will move the participant toward the accomplishment of those goals.

Person-centered case management services involve weekly contact with the individual which provides the opportunity to update him or her on potential changes in recommendations and assignments, monitor progress, offer redirection and guidance where necessary, and provide reinforcement for steps accomplished.

Follow-up services ensure continued success once re-employment has occurred, increasing the likelihood that the individual will be able to maintain employment.

A Record of Success
WorkPath originated in 2006 as a federal grant demonstration project - called Ticket to Work Palliative Care - aimed at preventing people from entering the public funding system by getting them back to work through the use of palliative care. It has evolved to a sustainable business to serve this same goal, in addition to decreasing expenditures of Worker’s Compensation and private insurance programs.

Even the most challenging of cases has achieved success with the program. Many participants have tried all other obvious avenues before finally finding success with the palliative care program.

As a demonstration project, the program averaged a re-employment rate of 33 percent. WorkPath would like to partner with your organization to get workers enrolled early, increasing their chance of returning to work and decreasing your costs related to their unemployment.

Keys To Success
Learning ways to manage pain
Participants are better able to work and live productive lives when they learn to manage their pain in a way that works for them. WorkPath teaches techniques that are complementary to traditional medical approaches and attempts to circumvent the need for highly addictive medications that may be counter-productive in a work environment.

Collaboration
Key to the program’s success is its strong network of community resources. Current partners include but are not limited to the Nebraska Department of Education Vocational Rehabilitation, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Workforce Development, Assistive Technology Partnership, and Easter Seals of Nebraska.