Mission Pain Medicine Consultants

St. Joseph’s longstanding commitment to pain control culminated in July of 2006 with the opening of the Mission Pain Medicine Consultants clinic. The clinic, which is conveniently located next to St. Joseph’s in Suite 106 of the Medical Office Building, features neuropathic pain treatment and is under the medical direction of Ronald E. Harbut, M.D., PhD. Dr. Harbut came to St. Joseph’s from Hershey, Pennsylvania and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center where he was an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and served as Director of the Neuropathic Pain Treatment Program.

Dr. Harbut secured his fellowship training in pain medicine at the Scottsdale, Arizona Mayo Clinic, doctorate degree in pharmacology from the University of Utah, medical degree from the University of Health Sciences-Chicago Medical School and bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Arizona. Dr. Harbut and the clinic staff take referrals and see patients who need a consultation for extensive pain. They also utilize the Outpatient Services Department for procedures, take in-house consultations and manage an inpatient neuropathic pain treatment program for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), which is also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).

Dr. Harbut started working on the new treatment for CRPS in 2001 when he was at the Scottsdale, Arizona division of the Mayo Clinic. He worked closely with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in obtaining an approved protocol to use with neuropathic pain and has experienced good results with it in treating CRPS. In fact, the treatment has helped around 50 percent of those who have tried it, and considering the number who are affected by the disease and the severity of its pain, that is extremely significant.

The highly-qualified staff of the Mission Pain Medical Consultants clinic devotes about one third of its time to the CRPS research protocol study and non-research-related CRPS treatment program. The healthcare professionals’ remaining time is spent on physician-referred patients – both outpatient and inpatient – with chronic pain. In addition to Dr. Harbut, the clinic staff is made up of Sylvia Phillips, RN, BSN, clinical supervisor; Renee Fazendine, office manager; Nina Morgan, LPN II, clinic nurse; and Julia Brown, receptionist.

For further information about the clinic, please call (501) 622-4878.