Outpatient program for long COVID shuttered, Alberta patients 'start over from Square 1'

The ending of Alberta's inter-professional outpatient program for long COVID is bad news for those suffering from the condition as well as those in the medical community trying to learn more about the illness.

That's according to Satish Raj, a professor of cardiac sciences at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. He was involved in a study that looked into the long-term effects.

"The truth is, in the medical community, we still struggle to try to figure out what's going on in individual patients and try to find ways of making them more functional," Raj said.

"One of the key roles that the long COVID clinic served was a reference point for other physicians."

In a statement sent to CBC News, Alberta Health Services (AHS) confirmed it has concluded the initiative, which was set up in 2021 as a temporary program.

"The health and well-being of our patients remain a priority, and we are committed to ensuring they receive the support they need during this transition," the statement reads.

"All patients of these clinics are being directly notified and will also receive information on managing their health concerns through other providers."

CBC News reached out to AHS for further clarification but did not hear back.

Debbie-Lee Miszaniec's husband Gordon had just finished the first phase of the program before it was cut. He was diagnosed with long COVID by his family physician, who sent him to a specialist.

With the initiative now shuttered, Miszaniec says she's worried he won't get the specific help he needs and that his situation will worsen.

"You have to essentially start over from Square 1 again," she said. 

"I think that you do need a bit of an individualized approach for each person. Not every person has, for instance, say the same amount of lung damage or the same amount of brain fog or issues with digestive issues." 

The program offered classes with various health-care providers on different topics related to long COVID, Miszaniec said. It helped her husband deal with several problems, both mentally and physically, that he'd gone through because of the illness.

"He was able to understand a lot more about energy management and brain fog … now that he has long COVID and it's impacting his ability to function, to hold down a full-time occupation," she said.