What You Should Know:
– Patients in the Cedars-Sinai COVID-19 Recovery Program receive a comprehensive in-person evaluation with an expert in infectious diseases or pulmonary medicine who can refer them to a network of specialists.
Cedars-Sinai, today announce the launch of the COVID-19 Recovery Program to meet the needs of a growing number of COVID-19 patients who experience lingering symptoms weeks and even months after physicians say they are virus-free.
COVID-19 Recovery Program Overview
Patients recovering from COVID-19 suffer from physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, continued loss of taste or smell, dizziness or headaches, to cognitive symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, or increased anxiety or depression. In response to this, Cedars-Sinai developed the COVID-19 Recovery Program to connect patients who are experiencing persistent symptoms after COVID-19 to a network of specialists in order to provide the most comprehensive and best care available based on the latest developing understanding of the disease. In addition, patients can also opt to participate in clinical trials and contribute to a deeper understanding of long-term effects of COVID-19.
To amplify its efforts, the COVID-19 Recovery Program works closely with two other Cedars-Sinai efforts:
– The Smidt Heart Institute’s Post-COVID-19 Cardiology Program, which enrolls patients who have been diagnosed with a heart issue associated with post-COVID-19 recovery.
– The Cedars-Sinai Department of Medicine’s Post-ICU Clinic, which focuses primarily on respiratory and neurological problems that develop in some intensive care unit patients after they are discharged.
“Given the sheer number of people worldwide who have had COVID-19–more than 90 million–if even 1% experience symptoms beyond three months, that is a huge number of patients who need help,” said program co-director Catherine Le, MD, an infectious disease specialist with Cedars-Sinai Medical Group. “For some patients, we are the first physicians they’ve seen in person since their diagnosis. Even if we don’t have all the answers right now, it puts many of our patients at ease to speak with an expert and get a complete evaluation.”
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for treatment in the program, patients must:
– Be referred by a physician.
– Have had COVID-19, confirmed by a positive test result.
– Be experiencing persistent symptoms.
