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In Northeastern Pennsylvania, thousands are recuperating from COVID-19.
Others will be added to this list in the months ahead.
Many are experiencing physical and emotional effects that can be improved with interventions from rehabilitation experts. This is an emerging specialty in post-acute care, and one that is becoming necessary to help citizens recover from the lasting effects of coronavirus.
Across the globe, millions of people have been infected and affected by the COVID19 virus.
Some have had mild illnesses; others have had more significant courses with long lasting residual problems.
These lingering difficulties extend beyond just respiratory trouble. Many patients suffer fatigue, endurance issues, muscle weakness, reduced joint mobility, gait imbalance, muscle and nerve pain, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and limitations with activities of daily living. All of us know someone in this situation.
Those individuals who required intensive care hospitalizations are more likely to suffer these untoward side effects.
Additionally, many are enduring various psychological issues, too. Depression stemming from social distancing, isolation, quarantine, ICU psychosis, mourning the loss of a loved one, quilt associated with infecting another, etc., are common these days; however, there are other emotional and cognitive illnesses that can arise as well.
Across the country, COVID recovery programs are being established to help patients with their recuperations – Northeastern Pennsylvania is no exception.
These programs are increasingly being led by physiatrists, who are physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and cognitive/linguistic therapy as well as physiological services play key roles in this recuperation model.
A patient’s personal care physician (PCP) in addition to other physician specialists such as pulmonary, cardiology, infectious diseases, nephrology, neurology and psychiatry will also be integral in patients’ recuperation depending upon each individual’s unique needs.
Physicians at Northeastern Rehabilitation Associates (NERA) in cooperation with staff from Allied Services Integrated Health System are leading dozens of local patients through holistic approaches to post-COVID 19 rehabilitation with the goal of achieving full recoveries from the various effects of this virus. We’ve established a center for COVID recuperation and rehabilitation to focus on this emergent issue.
Other programs are developing, too. This is all positive for our region – and very much needed.
Since last March, Northeast Rehab physicians have been vigilant in staying up to date with the latest medical literature and understanding of coronavirus. We have cared for patients in acute care hospitals, the rehabilitation setting, skilled nursing facilities and in the outpatient office setting. The long-term effects of this virus are still not fully understood but our physicians are uniquely qualified to assist with the rehabilitation of it now and in the future.
To be sure, patients recuperating from coronavirus will benefit greatly from a targeted post-acute care rehabilitation management program. The need is great and our local physician/provider network is working diligently to respond to this growing demand.
As with everything with COVID-19, understanding of the lasting health, economic and societal impacts of this dreaded disease is on-going. No issue is more important, though, than ensuring proper medical interventions are developed and delivered to help restore function in those who have been sidelined by this disease.
Dr. Michael Wolk is a partner at Northeastern Rehabilitation Associates and has been with the practice since 1992. He is also the Medical Director of Allied Services Rehabilitation Hospital. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Scranton and his Medical Degree from The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a Sub-specialty in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, and by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners.