The Allegheny Health Network (AHN) https://www.ahn.org has established one of the region’s first specialized clinics to address the unique health needs for patients recovering from moderate to acute cases of COVID-19 and experiencing long term effects.
“Across the country, physicians are witnessing an increasing number of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 but yet continue to deal with a myriad of issues from pulmonary, heart, and vascular problems to chronic fatigue, headaches and post-traumatic stress disorder,” explained Tariq Cheema, MD, Division Director for Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy at AHN and Physician Lead at the Clinic.
Dr. Cheema continued to say, “We’ve seen former COVID-19 patients who have never smoked before with lung scans mirroring that of a lifelong smoker. We’re also noting increased cases of extreme fatigue, ongoing loss of smell/taste, heart inflammation, and growing numbers of self-reported depression.”
The AHN Post COVID-19 Recovery Clinic is led by the network’s Pulmonary and Critical Care division and is based out of the Breathing Disorders Center at the AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion.
Currently, the AHN Post COVID-19 Recovery Clinic engages caregivers from cardiovascular, family medicine, behavioral health, pulmonary, and critical care disciplines to create tailored treatment paths that help patients diagnose, manage, and overcome related complications brought on by mild to severe COVID infections. The clinic is open to anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and continues to experience symptoms after recovery.
Patients are able to work closely with an assigned nurse navigator to design and implement a purposeful care pathway to best manage their post-acute COVID syndrome and treat persistent symptoms. The clinic offers both telemedicine and in-person appointments. Treatment plans will vary for patients at the clinic but may include CT scans, cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation, medical therapies, mental health screenings, and breathing exercises.
The AHN Research Institute will also be actively engaged to systematically assess and analyze data collected from patient reports. ”We anticipate the broad range of patient cases to offer a special vantage point into the lasting impacts of the virus. As we rapidly synthesize the information, we will be able to better understand the epidemiology, have more data to inform treatment plans, and gain more knowledge to share with the broader community, concluded Dr. Cheema.