VALHALLA N.Y. (June 7, 2021) –WMCHealth today announced the receipt of grants from the TD Charitable Foundation ($25,000) and KeyBank Foundation ($10,000) in support of the Network's Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program. WMCHealth's program cares for those who have had a COVID-19 infection and continue to have health issues, a condition referred to as "Long COVID." The grants help fund a clinical patient navigator who guides patients through a personalized treatment plan.
Currently located on the campus of Westchester Medical Center, the WMCHealth Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program was one of the first of its kind in the nation. The multidisciplinary program gives patients access to COVID-19-experienced physicians in primary care, pulmonology, cardiology, nephrology, mental and emotional health, radiology, and other specialties as needed. Several hundred patients have been treated in this program and the demand for these services continues to grow.
"We are grateful for the support of our Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program by the TD Charitable Foundation and KeyBank Foundation," said Carol Karmen, MD, an internal medicine specialist with WMCHealth Physicians co-leads Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program with colleague Gary Rogg, MD. "New patients continue to enter the program and these grants support its expansion and enhancement."
"WMCHealth's Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program has cared for more than 200 patients since the program's official launch in the fall of 2020 and more are entering the program every week. said, Rogg. "Our goal is to help as many people as we can, and the grants from the TD Charitable Foundation and KeyBank Foundation will assist in that effort."
Scheduling an Evaluation
The WMCHealth Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program is accepting new patients and takes most insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid. Individuals can schedule an evaluation by requesting an appointment online or by calling 833.329.0095.
After an evaluation, a physical exam and review of their COVID-19 history with a WMCHealth primary care physician, Program patients are assigned a clinical patient navigator who will guide them through a personalized treatment plan. If a patient has a primary care physician, s/he will receive detailed communication; if they do not, the program will help the patient establish a relationship with a primary care provider.
Know the Symptoms and Risks
The lingering effects of a COVID-19 infection can include symptoms such as:
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Headache
- Muscle weakness and joint pain
- Impact to the heart, lungs, brain, and blood cells
- Mental "fogginess," confusion, anxiety, depression
Experience in COVID-19 Care
WMCHealth's physicians and nurses have significant experience treating COVID-19 patients. WMCHealth was one of the first New York State health care systems to launch COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody testing throughout its network. In addition, WMCHealth was selected to participate in medication trials and continues to optimize approaches to testing, acute care, and chronic care follow-up for those diagnosed with COVID-19.
Building Community Confidence with Safety Protocols
As the coordinator for the Hudson Valley Region Hub of the New York State Regional Vaccine Network, WMCHealth is leading the Hudson Valley's largest- ever collaboration of healthcare providers and logistics effort to ensure the safe, equitable and efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine across Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan counties. To date, WMCHealth has supported the coordination of more than 2,000,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses across the region.
In addition, WMCHealth launched the 75-member Health Equity Task Force, with members meeting weekly to identify vaccine access and distribution barriers and develop solutions to remove them, particularly impediments that affect underserved communities.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1, Level 2 and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, homecare services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State, today WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth at Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.
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Press representatives interested in speaking with a WMCHealth representative regarding the Post-COVID-19 Recovery program can contact us at any time to schedule a discussion. Patient testimonials may also be available.