Madonna offers virtual series on managing long COVID

While many people give little thought to COVID-19 these days, some Nebraskans continue to feel the effects of past infections.

Beginning Wednesday, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals will offer a free, four-part virtual seminar series that will offer practical strategies aimed at helping those with long COVID reduce and manage lingering symptoms.

Katie Williams, Madonna's director of marketing and communications, said the hospital system continues to hear from people across the state who are experiencing ongoing symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, digestive issues and difficulty returning to pre-COVID activity levels.

"The people who are impacted by it are searching for resources and support," she said.

The most recent figures from the federal Centers from Disease Control and Prevention indicate that more than 72,000 Nebraskans are currently experiencing long COVID, Williams said. Of that total, some 19,000 report experiencing significant limitations that impact their capacity for daily activities at home and work.

Madonna offered an in-person version of the seminar in September that was capped at 20 people. But some who registered were interested in a virtual option.

"This allows us to broaden that to a broader audience in Nebraska," she said.

Madonna tentatively is considering limiting registration for the virtual program to between 50 and 75 people in order to ensure that staff can monitor the group, hear concerns and answer questions, Williams said. But if the session fills and interest remains, they may add sessions.

All of the speakers are Madonna staff. Each session will be led by a member of Madonna's research institute who has studied the impacts of long COVID on daily function, cognition, mental health, nutrition and exercise physiology. Institute members will be paired with a Madonna expert in each of those areas.

Madonna also continues to provide interdisciplinary outpatient post-COVID clinics at its Omaha and Lincoln campuses, she said, and continues to admit new patients every month. Madonna has treated 1,325 post-COVID patients — both inpatient and outpatient — since the start of the pandemic. Of those, 634 have come through the outpatient clinics.

While the risk of long COVID has decreased since the start of the pandemic, particularly among those who are vaccinated, it has not gone away.

Other health systems also continue to offer clinics. The Nebraska Medical Center has a post-COVID rehabilitation clinic that is now open to existing and new patients.

Methodist Health System doesn't have a dedicated post-COVID rehabilitation clinic, but the hospital has been using its existing therapy programs to treat COVID patients. CHI Health offers multiple post-COVID recovery options for patients, depending on their needs.

Williams said many patients who go through the clinic see a decrease in the severity of their symptoms and feel they have an improved quality of life. Some continue to experience symptoms but learn strategies to better manage them with the aim of minimizing the degree to which they impact their daily activities.

One of the seminars, for instance, will focus on how to introduce an exercise program and retrain the body to withstand more activity.

To register for the seminars, visit www.madonna.org/outpatient/post-covid/seminars

Each hourlong session will begin at 6 p.m. The schedule and area of focus:

Nov. 6, Long COVID overview and Madonna's continuum of care.

Nov. 13, Long COVID and nutrition.

Dec. 4, Long COVID and mental and cognitive health.

Dec. 11, Long COVID and physical activity.