DALLAS, TX — Nerveli, Inc., a digital chronic pain management platform developed by a chronic pain survivor alongside a world-renowned team of pain scientists, clinicians, and psychologists, announced today a comprehensive strategic partnership with the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA). By combining science-backed AI with evidence-based pain neuroscience and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, Nerveli delivers personalized pain recovery plans infused with empathy and supported by gamified educational tools. Founded in 1980, the ACPA is one of the nation’s most respected nonprofit organizations, having spent more than four decades advocating for the millions of Americans living with chronic pain through peer support, education, and patient advocacy.
This landmark collaboration brings together Nerveli’s cutting-edge digital health platform and the ACPA’s unmatched legacy of patient-centered advocacy to address chronic pain on multiple fronts: education, community, clinical innovation, and research — including a commitment to America’s veterans, who carry a disproportionate burden of chronic pain and the mental health challenges that so often accompany it.
Chronic pain affects more than 80 million Americans and remains one of the most undertreated and misunderstood conditions in medicine. For too long, patients have navigated a fragmented system with few resources and even less hope. This partnership is built to change that.
“At Nerveli, we believe that every person living with chronic pain deserves access to compassionate, science-backed care and a community that truly understands what they are going through. The American Chronic Pain Association has been a beacon of hope for patients for over 40 years, and we are profoundly honored to stand alongside them in this work. Together, we will reach people who have felt invisible in the healthcare system and give them the tools, connection, and path forward they deserve.”
Five Pillars of a Partnership Built for Impact
1.Joint Educational Content and Social Media Collaboration
Nerveli and the ACPA will co-develop and distribute educational content across both organizations’ platforms and social media channels, bringing clinically grounded insights directly to patients, caregivers, and providers at scale. A centerpiece of this collaboration will be programming led by Nerveli’s pain psychologist, Dr. Desiree Hilton, whose expertise in pain psychology and behavioral health will anchor an ongoing series of evidence-based content designed to educate, inspire, and empower. This initiative reflects both organizations’ belief that informed patients are better equipped to navigate their pain — and to advocate for the care they deserve.
2.Video Content Series: CBT Techniques and the Mind-Body Connection
The partnership will produce an original video content series exploring cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques specifically designed for chronic pain, as well as the critical and often misunderstood relationship between the mind and the body in the pain experience. Led by Dr. Hilton, the series will translate complex clinical science into accessible, actionable guidance that patients, families, and providers can use in everyday life. Episodes will be distributed across Nerveli’s platform and the ACPA’s national network to reach the broadest possible audience.
3.ACPA Member Integration into the Nerveli Platform
In a powerful expression of their shared values, up to 27,000 ACPA members will potentially be integrated directly into Nerveli’s digital chronic pain platform — creating a space that is not only clinically sophisticated, but empathetic, engaging, and genuinely supportive. Chronic pain is profoundly isolating, and community is medicine. By welcoming the ACPA’s established peer support network into Nerveli’s ecosystem, patients will benefit from the seamless combination of cutting-edge clinical resources and the irreplaceable human connection that has made the ACPA a trusted lifeline for patients since 1980.
4.Joint Grant Opportunities to Drive Chronic Pain Innovation
Nerveli and the ACPA will jointly pursue grant funding to advance meaningful innovation in chronic pain research, care delivery, and patient outcomes. By combining Nerveli’s digital health infrastructure with the ACPA’s four-decade legacy of credibility, research collaboration, and national influence, the two organizations are uniquely positioned to attract significant funding and lead initiatives that push the entire field of chronic pain care forward. Joint grant priorities will include underserved populations, scalable digital interventions, and the intersection of mental and physical health in pain management.
5.Supporting Those Living With Chronic Pain and Mental Health Challenges
Among the most urgent and meaningful dimensions of this partnership is a dedicated commitment to the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans experience chronic pain at dramatically higher rates than the general population — a direct consequence of physical injuries, the grueling demands of service, and the lasting toll of combat and trauma. For many veterans, chronic pain and mental health challenges are deeply intertwined, manifesting as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and in the most devastating cases, crisis.
Nerveli and the ACPA will develop targeted programming, peer support pathways, and digital resources for chronic pain and mental health. This work is grounded in a shared conviction: Both organizations are committed to ensuring that chronic pain sufferers, including the veterans community, have access to compassionate, evidence-based, and community-driven support every step of the way.
“For more than four decades, the American Chronic Pain Association has stood with patients, giving them a voice, a community, and a reason for hope. We are proud to partner with Nerveli — an organization that shares our deep commitment to compassionate, comprehensive, and evidence-based care. Together, we will extend our reach and deepen our impact in ways that will matter profoundly to the patients and their families.”
