PainCare was founded by local doctors Michael J. O’Connell, MD, MHA and John C. Bell, MD (1932-1995). In the late 1980s, they worked together as practicing anesthesiologists at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New Hampshire. It was there that Dr O’Connell initiated a program of specialized care for patients with acute, sub-acute and chronic pain.
As the number of pain patients grew, it became apparent that there was an enormous, unaddressed need in the seacoast area for a specialized facility and healthcare team dedicated exclusively to this significant, underserved population.
With the goal of providing the highest quality of individualized yet comprehensive care, Drs. O’Connell and Bell established the seacoast area’s first and only center devoted exclusively to the treatment of pain. On June 25, 1992, PainCare (originally Northeast Pain Consultation) welcomed the first patient to its Somersworth surgicenter facility. PainCare expanded its service area in 1998 by opening a second surgicenter facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Since then, PainCare has expanded and today has an impressive 12 offices located throughout New Hampshire.
Working alongside the many talented staff members who have joined the PainCare family over the years, Dr. O’Connell continues to build upon and administer the conceptual legacy he and Dr. Bell initiated over two decades ago.