The Integrated Health and Social Services Center of Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO) in partnership with a research center at the University of Sherbrooke is setting up a service aimed at treating people with persistent symptoms of COVID-19, commonly referred to as long-haul COVID.
Within the next few weeks, the service will get under way. To provide this service, CISSSMO has a multidisciplinary team of professionals, made up of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, neuropsychologists and other professionals. The mission of the team members is to provide care to people affected by long-haul COVID, that is to say the symptoms and consequences caused by the disease that persist or occur beyond four weeks, in infected people. The workers are currently receiving training and are being followed by a research project. These services will be available to the population of Montérégie-Ouest. Funding of $ 1.3 million from the facility’s COVID budget was dedicated to the project.
“There is still little known about the long-haul of COVID-19 and we have little data on the subject, but people are affected and we owe it to ourselves to offer them the support they need to recover, said the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé. We are counting on our teams to develop the necessary expertise in this regard, for the benefit of people struggling with symptoms that are not only persistent, but also sometimes disabling. Our network’s service must be adapted to meet the needs of these people, based on best practices in a multidisciplinary approach.”
During a virtual press briefing, CISSSMO Deputy Director General for Physical Health, Philippe Besombes, specified that around 20-30% of people who have had COVID-19 still show symptoms after four weeks. Some people still have symptoms after 12 weeks.
“They include fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety and memory loss, says Mr. Besombes. The announcement of a service for people living with this reality is extraordinary. This will allow people who suffer from long-haul COVID to have access to a range of services. It gives hope to regain a quality of life.”
The CISSSMO is the first center to offer the service in Quebec. But, do not think that it will stay that way. Researcher Simon Décary, of the University of Sherbrooke, says he is confident to see this innovation across Quebec over the summer.
Residents of Montérégie-Ouest who wish to register for the program can go to the Santé Montérégie website or call 1 844 699-6598. Prospective patients should have at least three symptoms of long-haul COVID, and three weeks should have passed between the time of infection and the time of application.
