Regional One Health and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center are offering a clinic designed to specifically provide follow-up care for patients who had COVID-19.
The clinic, led by Dr. Cyrilyn Walters, will help patients with long-term symptoms and will also be open to asymptomatic patients who are interested in learning about COVID-19 research studies.
Patients will be seen at Regional One Health’s Outpatient Center, 880 Madison Avenue, and telehealth appointments will also be available.
Dr. Walters said the clinic is an excellent resource: “The COVID follow-up clinic provides the ability for these patients to have a medical professional monitor and help manage those symptoms, even if it is just reassurance that things will get better.”
Regional One Health and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center have established a post-COVID-19 clinic to provide specialized outpatient follow-up care to individuals who have tested positive for the virus and may be experiencing long-term symptoms after recovery.
The clinic will also be available to individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic but interested in learning about research studies to develop overall understanding of the virus and its residual effects.
The clinic is led by Cyrilyn Walters, MD, MPH, FACP, FAAP, medical director for ambulatory services at Regional One Health.
“We know that our patients with severe COVID symptoms receive great care and concern when hospitalized but we miss so many of our patients that were not sick enough to be hospitalized and are struggling,” Dr. Walters said.
“The COVID follow-up clinic provides the ability for these patients to have a medical professional monitor and help manage those symptoms, even if it is just reassurance that things will get better.”
It is organized by G. Nicholas Verne, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine in the College of Medicine at UTHSC and Tish Towns, FACHE, senior vice president and chief administrative officer at Regional One Health.
“This clinic together with the inpatient COVID unit at Regional One Health, will establish a COVID medical home that will provide longitudinal follow up and care for patients who have had COVID-19,” Dr. Verne said. “Patients who have been diagnosed with COVID, either in the community or at Regional One Health, and have been hospitalized or are out of the hospital, will have the opportunity to seek follow-up care there.”
The clinic offers both in-clinic visits and telehealth visits. Onsite appointments are held at Regional One Health Outpatient Center, 880 Madison Avenue.
Tish Towns, FACHE, senior vice president and chief administrative officer at Regional One Health, partnered with G. Nicholas Verne, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine in the College of Medicine at UTHSC, to organize the clinic.
UTHSC faculty who practice at Regional One Health, a clinical practice partner hospital with UTHSC, will provide the longitudinal or long-term follow-up care in the clinic.
“Because this is a multidisciplinary practice site, there are doctors who have expertise and experience in various fields and have available study options for patients who may have long-term quality-of-life issues following infection,” Dr. Verne said.
For example, individuals experiencing cardiac or pulmonary issues post-COVID-19 could get treatment from specialists in those fields. They would also have access to research available on post-COVID-19 residual effects.
“We are delighted to partner with Regional One Health in caring for patients who were infected with COVID-19,” said Scott Strome, MD, executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine. “This clinic is designed to diagnose and treat the litany of COVID-19-associated symptoms and to serve as a resource for our entire community.”