At JRMC we meet patients every day who push through pain most would find unbearable. For years, Shawntil Knecht was one of them. As a busy administrative assistant, wife, mother and grandmother who hates to be slowed down, she was determined not to let chronic back and leg pain define her days. After multiple back surgeries and repeated trips to another pain clinic, the long drives and missed workdays wore her down and increased her reliance on pain medication.
“I could have let this pain get the best of me, but I didn’t,” Shawntil shares. “I pushed through but unfortunately crashed at the end of every day.”
A new path forward
Then Shawntil saw our message on a local billboard about opioid-free pain treatment — available right here in Jamestown — and felt a sense of hope. After talking it over with her daughter, Mercede Fiebiger, JRMC Specialty Clinic leader, Shawntil felt confident moving forward with treatment knowing her care would be delivered locally by a team she can trust. On January 7, Shawntil had her first appointment, meeting with our JRMC Pain Management team, including nurse practitioner Morgan Croves and CRNA Joseph McBeain. One week later, she underwent her first procedure.
Just weeks afterward, she noticed real change. “My left leg feels great,” she says. “I still have some pain, but it’s very tolerable. I’m confident that sticking with the program will give me great results.”
Shawntil’s story reflects the very reason JRMC created the pain clinic — to bring advanced, non-opioid pain treatment to rural patients who previously had to travel long distances.
A team committed to local patients
We understand that need personally — and so does Morgan. As a Jamestown College (now University of Jamestown) graduate, Morgan completed her nursing rotations at JRMC and was drawn back by the culture of excellence and commitment to patient-centered care.
“When I learned the clinic would be located in Jamestown, I knew it would be a vital resource,” Morgan explains. “Patients often travel great distances and wait months for pain treatment. Now they can receive non-opioid therapies right here.
For Morgan, the most meaningful part of her work is building relationships and restoring hope. “I like giving patients confidence again after they’ve felt defeated for so long,” she says. “Education is power. When patients understand their condition, they can take an active role in their healing.”
“I’m a firm believer in staying local,” Shawntil says. “We have great help right here in our community, and JRMC has so many great options.”
Through innovative partnerships and dedicated teams, our JRMC Pain Clinic is helping patients move beyond chronic pain and forward with renewed strength — right here at home.
As seen in AppleSeeds Spring 2026 issue.