Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: long COVID clinics

About 2,000 patients are on the long COVID clinic waiting list

(Montreal) The rehabilitation process is long for patients with long COVID, which can limit professionals in their acceptance of new patients. This issue, added to the other ills of the healthcare system, means that some 4,000 patients end up in the network of long COVID clinics, half of whom are on the waiting list.

Comments closed

St. Joe’s to shut down Parkwood long-COVID program due to lack of provincial funding

A London program that has been credited with helping patients with long COVID get treatment and support is shutting down because the province has not renewed its funding.

The Post-Acute COVID-19 Program at Parkwood will shut down by the end of the year and has stopped taking patients as of this month, St. Joseph’s Health Care London confirmed in a statement.

The shutdown leaves Londoners who have long COVID without a dedicated space to get treatment.

Comments closed

Teens and kids with long COVID are showing surprising new symptoms

Rose Lehane Tureen is one busy teenager.

The 16-year-old is class president, an Irish step dance champion, singer, cross-country runner and straight-A student at her high school in Maine.

Her accomplishments belie the reality that she suffers from a debilitating headache that has lasted for more than four years, one of the several long COVID symptoms she’s endured since an infection in March 2020.

At the beginning of her illness, Rose went to the emergency room half a dozen times and was hospitalized twice with dizziness and blinding head pain. She also had red and swollen fingers, toes and ears; peeling skin; joint pain; problems controlling her temperature and terrible dreams.

Comments closed

Opinion: Closing long-COVID clinics a devastating blow to patients

I was dismayed to see Alberta Health Services’ decision to abruptly shut down the three long-COVID clinics and outpatient programs last week. This was done without any consultation, notice or consideration for those who access these crucial health care services.

As a long-COVID patient I was personally able to access their rehab services, which were incredibly helpful for me. Many may not realize how long-COVID impacts the entire body, and the extent of care supports many long-COVID patients require.

I went from being a very active person to being homebound and unable to work. The support I received through the clinic helped me regain some of my function and made my activities of daily living more manageable.

Through the clinic I was able to access cardiac and respiratory testing, as well as many rehabilitation therapists, including a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, recreational therapist (so critical when you’re housebound), a speech language pathologist, and a social worker.

Comments closed

Fallout ensues after the closure of long-COVID outpatient program

Those suffering from long-COVID in Alberta are fighting back after the government informed them the Long-COVID Inter-Professional Outpatient Program was ending.

For some, COVID feels like a distant memory, a time when the world seemed to stop as everyone navigated the pandemic. Yet for many, it’s not in the rearview mirror, it’s still an ever-present reality and daily fight.

Jennifer Hare has had long-COVID for three years.

“Literally, my entire life is planned whereas before, I was a normal human being,” said Hare.

Comments closed

Alberta shuts down long-COVID program

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is closing down its long-COVID outpatient program that had been operating since 2021.

In a letter to patients dated Aug. 8, AHS says the program has concluded.

“Your health and well-being remain a priority, and we are committed to ensuring you receive support during the transition,” it reads.

“We understand that this change might be challenging for some and thank you for your understanding and co-operation during this transition period.”

Comments closed

Hundreds of long-COVID sufferers affected as AHS abruptly closes outpatient program

Confusion and frustration.

Those are the feelings that 56-year-old Calgary grandmother Barbara Pencala was left with after she learned on Wednesday via email that Alberta Health Services (AHS) is concluding its long COVID Inter-Professional Outpatient Program (IPOP).

The temporary initiative was set up in 2021 and was never meant to be permanent, but the news came as a surprise to hundreds of program patients, many of whom took to social media to express their concerns.

Comments closed

Four years later, long COVID continues to upend lives in Quebec

Sylvie Gagnon has been struggling with the symptoms of long COVID since early 2023, when she caught the virus for a fourth time since the outset of the pandemic.

A business development manager, Gagnon has been off work ever since. Needing help with daily tasks, she’s had to move in with her son and daughter-in-law.

On the few days she manages to leave the house in Vaudreuil-Dorion, she wears sunglasses and earmuffs — the condition has played havoc with her senses, leaving her hypersensitive to light and noise. Her pressure spikes without warning. Any exercise causes extreme fatigue.

Comments closed

Une clinique virtuelle pour aider les malades de la COVID longue en Outaouais

he Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l’Outaouais announced on Wednesday the opening of a satellite clinic for the rehabilitation of post-infectious syndrome to long COVID.

Comments closed

Le CIUSSS ouvre une clinique virtuelle pour les patients atteints de COVID longue

It is the turn of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean to be entitled to its clinic to treat people with long COVID. The disease is still poorly understood, but…

Comments closed

Long COVID is ‘not rare’ and can develop after mild illness, says Montreal specialist

The Quebec government is setting up 15 clinics across the province to treat people with long COVID and Lyme disease. The first one to open in Montreal is located at the Jewish General Hospital.

Comments closed

Jewish General Hospital opens long-COVID and Lyme disease clinic

The CIUSSS West-Central Montreal regional health authority announced the opening of a clinic for patients with persistent symptoms of COVID-19 and Lyme disease at the Jewish General Hospital on Monday.

“Although most of the people who get COVID-19 recover within a few weeks, some — even those who had mild versions of the disease — might have symptoms that last a long time afterward,” Dr. Karl Weiss, chief of the Jewish General Hospital’s division of infectious diseases, noted in a statement. “These symptoms can be disabling, making it difficult to perform daily activities or to return to work or school. They may vary in intensity from day to day, and over time.

“Research and knowledge about treating this illness known as long-COVID syndrome is emerging and rapidly evolving. Our goal in establishing the referral centre is to provide patients with leading-edge care, while improving our understanding of the disease.”

Comments closed

Une nouvelle clinique visant la COVID longue et la maladie de Lyme chronique à Montréal

A clinic dedicated to people with long COVID or persistent symptoms of Lyme disease has just opened at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. This reference centre, which will combine clinical and research on these two syndromes still poorly understood, is one of the 15 clinics announced last May by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).

“Although we do not yet have a very good understanding of the pathophysiology of these two diseases, we know that both of them sometimes cause long-term sequelae that persist even though the infection seems to have disappeared from the organism,” explains Dr Leighanne Parkes, microbiolgist-infectiologist at this new clinic.

Comments closed