Lakewood, NJ – A new program at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus (MMCSC) is helping COVID-19 patients with lingering health issues fully recover through coordinated rehabilitation and outpatient services designed to help them return to optimal health.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged patients treated at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, as well as other hospitals, who already have preexisting illness or underlying conditions,” explains Charles Markowitz, M.D., Medical Director of the Department of Rehabilitation. “COVID-19 can cause heart and lung complications, especially in patients with chronic debilitating conditions. After a hospital discharge from COVID-19, patients can have limited function due to lingering respiratory illness and weakened immune systems, or physical problems, including weakness and trouble walking.”
The COVID-19 Survivors Rehabilitation and Recovery Program, which is also available to COVID patients who were not hospitalized, offers coordinated outpatient rehabilitation, including physical and speech therapy, and access to a continuum of care, such as additional outpatient testing, radiology or prescriptions.
“MMCSC reminds you that it’s safe to come back to the hospital for all your physical rehabilitation needs,” says Frank J. Vozos, MD, FACS, chief executive at MMCSC. “We have taken every precaution to keep our patients and staff safe, including staff vigilance regarding the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with all patients, active screening of team members, patients and visitors upon entering our facility requiring everyone who enters our facility to wear a mask, social and physical distancing measures, and strict hand hygiene.”
Some patients may require physical therapy for functional training, gait re-education and basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Patients may also require speech pathology, or therapy for residual swallowing difficulties.
The COVID-19 Survivors Rehabilitation and Recovery Program is easy to get started. Patients can request a prescription to Rehabilitation Services from their physician, schedule an evaluation with a physician through the James and Sharon Maida Geriatrics Institute, located at MMCSC, or call our Rehabilitation team for an initial evaluation.
If you suffered COVID-19 either as a hospital patient, or at home, don’t hesitate to seek follow-up care to get your daily life back on track. Call the rehabilitation experts at MMCSC and ask about the COVID-19 Survivors Rehabilitation and Recovery Program at 732.942.5921, or speak with your primary physician today.