Colorado

Colorado’s long COVID clinics can’t meet demand, so health leaders look to expand treatment

Published

12 months ago

December 1, 2023

Colorado’s long COVID clinics can’t meet demand, so health leaders look to expand treatment

Colorado doesn’t have enough capacity to treat everyone suffering with long COVID at the three specialized clinics in the state, so public health leaders are trying to figure out ways for more people to get the care they need closer to home.

Three multidisciplinary clinics in the state see long COVID patients, at National Jewish Health in Denver, UCHealth in Aurora and Family Health West in Fruita. Together, they’ve treated about 10,000 people since mid-2020 — a significant number, but nowhere near everyone in need, said Dr. Sarah Jolley, medical director of the UCHealth Post-COVID Clinic.

Researchers estimated in November 2022 that between 228,000 and 651,000 Coloradans had symptoms that lingered after a COVID-19 infection, what has become known as long COVID.

Some people have relatively mild symptoms, such as loss of smell, while others are unable to work or care for themselves because of extreme fatigue or “brain fog.” Some report their conditions improve over time, while others see no change or get worse.

One idea to bring care to more people with long COVID is building on Project Extension for Community Health Outcomes, or ECHO, which connects primary care providers with specialists to learn how to manage certain conditions locally and to discuss complex patients. It started in New Mexico and initially focused on teaching rural providers to treat patients with hepatitis C, but has expanded over time.

Dr. Kyle Leggott, primary care liaison for Project ECHO in Colorado, said the group put together seven online courses to cover the basics of long COVID care, which are free to providers who want them. They’re still working on setting up groups for more in-depth training and consultation, he said.

“We really need every provider who meets patients in the ambulatory care setting to know what long COVID is,” he said.

Even if care is available in someone’s community, it doesn’t do much good if they can’t afford it, said Chelsey Baker-Hauck, a long COVID patient who spoke at a roundtable hosted by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera on Wednesday. She said one drug seems to be preventing more damage from her immune system attacking multiple body tissues, but it was a tough fight to get her insurance to cover it, and she expects to have to go through the same battle again soon.

The state also needs to make other supports more accessible, like disability payments, Baker-Hauck said. A friend of hers who also has long COVID recently lost her home because she was unable to work and spent much of her savings trying to repair her immune system, which is no longer protecting her from routine infections, she said.

“She’s not going to live to see her first disability payment,” she said.

Research suggests people newly infected with COVID-19 now are at a lower risk for lingering symptoms than they were earlier in the pandemic, due to immunity from vaccination and prior infections, as well as changes in the virus itself. That said, some still become seriously ill, placing them at a higher risk for long COVID.

As of Tuesday, 267 people in Colorado were hospitalized for COVID-19, and the number of people admitted on an average day was rising both in the state and nationwide.

Alison Sbrana, a disability activist from Fort Collins who spoke at the roundtable in Aurora, said the state’s infrastructure for treating post-viral syndromes has improved since the pandemic started.

She developed myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, in 2014 after an infection with the virus that causes mononucleosis. She bounced from specialist to specialist for years with no help, and it was extremely difficult to find someone who could treat her health as a whole and coordinate her care, she said.

While having three multidisciplinary clinics is an improvement over the landscape when she got sick, patients with post-viral conditions still face significant barriers to care, Sbrana said. For example, some people with cognitive symptoms of long COVID can’t drive, and not everyone has a relative or friend who can take them to Denver for appointments, she said.

“It would be an enormous lift for me to come down here and get care,” Sbrana said.

Project ECHO could be a partial solution, especially since the organizers seem interested in hearing from patients about what isn’t working in the current system, Sbrana said. Primary care doctors are accustomed to managing their patients’ health needs, so involving them would take the burden of scheduling and coordination off people struggling with daily life, she said.

“If you can keep it in primary care and teach them what they need to know… you’re going to prevent these patients falling through the cracks,” she said.

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Colorado

Law enforcement investigate possible

Published

1 hour ago

November 22, 2024

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Law enforcement investigate possible “crime tourism” in Colorado – CBS Colorado

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A recent attempted burglary of an Aspen jewelry store has now drawn the attention of the FBI, as it appears to be a case of “crime tourism” or “burglary tourism.”

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Colorado

Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Published

11 hours ago

November 21, 2024

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Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter said Thursday he plans to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.

“That’s definitely for sure,” Hunter, 21, told reporters when asked if he intended to declare.

A favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Hunter plays both cornerback and receiver for the Buffaloes. He is projected by many to be selected first overall next April.

When asked about playing both offense and defense as a professional, Hunter acknowledged the rarity of doing both, saying, “It’s never been done.”

He added: “I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don’t want their top pick to go down too early and I know they’re going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.”

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In 10 games for Colorado this season, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns — all career bests. Defensively, Hunter has three interceptions, eight passes defended and 23 tackles.

Hunter was a highly recruited player coming out of high school. A consensus five-star prospect, he originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State — becoming the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU.

Hunter played for one season at Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, then transferred to Colorado before the 2023 season when Sanders took the head coaching job there.

Last season, Hunter averaged close to 115 plays per game, participating in offense, defense and special teams.

Sanders’s son Shedeur, who plays quarterback for Colorado, is projected to be among the first signal-callers selected in next year’s draft. Another player who could be a Heisman finalist, Sanders said Thursday that Hunter is the more deserving of the two to win the award.

“If it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven’t been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I would rather him win.”

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Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Published

19 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (10-9-0) @ Washington Capitals (13-4-1)

5 p.m. MT | Capital One Arena | Watch: Altitude, 9News, My20, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

For the second time in six days the Colorado Avalanche will faceoff against the Washington Capitals. Colorado will battle to split the season series after a 5-2 loss at Ball Arena on November 15.

Soaring Past the Flyers

The Avalanche beat the Flyers 3-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Cale Makar posted his 10th-career multi-goal game and Casey Mittlestadt added a goal. Additionally, Mikko Rantanen recorded two assists and Justus Annunen made 24 saves. Following a scoreless first period, Makar opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 8:30 of the second period after receiving Nathan MacKinnon’s set-up feed. Makar thought he had his second of the game at 10:44 of the middle frame, but the goal was taken off the board due to a successful Flyers challenge for goaltender interference. However, Makar would eventually double Colorado’s lead on the power play with his eighth tally of the season at 15:08 of the middle frame with a shot from the point that deflected off a Flyers player on its way in. The Burgundy and Blue took a 3-0 lead at 8:34 of the third period when Mittelstadt dispatched the rebound created by Rantanen’s shot into the net for his seventh goal of the season. The Flyers answered with goals from Owen Tippett at 11:48 and Tyson Foerster at 13:32 to cut their deficit to one, but the Avs held on to secure their 10th victory of the season.

Leading the Way

MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (27).

Makar leads NHL blueliners in goals (8), assists (19), and points (27). He’s tied for seventh among NHL skaters in points and tied for fifth in assists.

Rantanen is tied for sixth in the league in goals (12) and tied for seventh in points (27).

History

The Avalanche are 18-20-4 in 42 previous regular-season games against the Capitals. Colorado is 4-1-0 in its last five matchups against Washington dating back to the 2022-23 season.

Winning Out West

The Capitals beat the Utah Hockey Club 6-2 at the Delta Center on Monday. Alex Ovechkin scored twice, and Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves. Utah opened the scoring with a goal by Jack McBain at 3:05 of the first period but the Capitals responded with tallies from Dylan Strome at 7:46, Nic Dowd at 7:56, and Ovechkin at 11:05. Ovechkin extended Washington’s lead to three with a goal at 5:38 of the second period before Nick Bjugstad scored for Utah at 11:44 to make it 4-2 in favor of Washington entering the third period. Ovechkin did leave the game midway through the third period with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve and ruled week-to-week. The Caps added two more goals in the third period from Brandon Duhaime at 7:30 and Aliaksei Protas at 9:56 to win 6-2.

Putting Up Numbers on the Potomac

MacKinnon has posted 28 points (11g/17a) in 20-career matchups against the Capitals including 11 points (5g/6a) in 10 road matchups against them.

In eight previous meetings with Washington, Makar has recorded six points (2g/4a).

Rantanen has registered 19 points (8g/11a) in 14 previous games against Washington including eight points (4g/4a) on the road.

Capitals’ Contributors

Strome leads the Capitals in points (28) and assists (22).

Connor McMichael is second on the team in goals (12) and third in points (19).

Aliaksei Protas is fourth on the team in points (18), third in goals (7), and tied for third in assists (11).

A Numbers Game

10

Makar became the first defenseman in franchise history to record 10 multi-goal games.

3

The Avalanche have three players (MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen) in the top 10 in points. No other team has more than one.

165

The Avs have registered 165 high-danger shots on goal, which ranks sixth in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Juice is great. I think he’s been great all year. [He made] some big saves, especially at the beginning there…So [it was a] heck of a job from Juice for sure.”

— Casey Mittelstadt on Justus Annunen’s performance on Monday

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