CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Clinic is opening a new clinic for COVID-19 “long-haulers” called the reCOVer Clinic.
In the reCOVer Clinic, patients with persistent COVID-19 symptoms can access a variety of specialists and resources, with 18 different clinical areas.
The clinic will have specialists from cardiology, pulmonology, dermatology, ear nose and throat, and neurocognition to help understand and address needs of patients with symptoms lasting more than 28 days, which is known as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC).
Patients of the clinic will begin with a series of evaluations and exams before eventually meeting with providers to discuss their results and the next steps.
Depending on the results of the tests, which range from blood tests to cardiac and pulmonary tests to neurocognitive and behavioral health screenings, patients will have experts determine the best care path for them moving forward and connect them with specific providers for continued care.
Patients who aren’t sure if they are “long-haulers” should contact their primary care physician for a better understanding.
“We are committed to helping these patients, whose lives have been interrupted for weeks or months due to long COVID-19 symptoms,” said William Lago, M.D., a family medicine physician who was also involved in the development of the reCOVer clinic. “Like COVID-19 itself, long COVID-19 can include a wide array of symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, persistent fatigue and memory difficulties. However, many other factors also can contribute to what our patients are experiencing. This is a complex condition and one that we are understanding more about every day. By taking the time to perform multidisciplinary, comprehensive evaluations, we believe we can best partner with our patients in putting together treatment plans and setting them on a path to wellness.”
The reCOVer Clinic is located in the Cleveland Clinic Independence Family Health Center but serves patients across Northeast Ohio using their virtual platforms.
Currently, the clinic is seeing patients on referral but plans to expand its services to any patient experiencing PASC in the future.
