The clinics - two in Vancouver and one in Surrey -- are seeing COVID-19 patients who are discharged from hospital, as well as those referred by other physicians.
![Vancouver, BC: MARCH 20, 2020 -- Visitors to St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC are screened before they enter the hospital Friday, March 20, 2020. Due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, health officials are stressing that social spacing is important to stop the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jason Payne/ PNG) (For story by reporter) ORG XMIT: covid [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/vancouversun/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/png-0320n-covid-337.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288)
“This new network ensures that B.C. patients not only will have access to care in the most efficient manner but that we will be sure that we have a province-wide approach to learning more about how best to manage this new condition,” said Dr. Adeera Levin, lead of the ICCN and executive director of B.C. Renal, within PHSA.
“The network is a first in kind for any province to our knowledge, rooted in patient centred care and innovation.”
Health officials said before the opening of the clinics, patients were receiving specialized care with standardized post-COVID-19 protocols established by a large team of experts from Fraser Health, Providence Health Care, VCH, BC Centre for Disease Control, PHSA and several others.
The clinics are seeing COVID-19 patients who are discharged from hospital, as well as those referred by other physicians.
More to come…
ticrawford@postmedia.com
The B.C. government has launched three post-COVID recovery clinics in the Metro Vancouver region to help people suffering from long-term health effects of the virus.
The new units will be located at St. Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey, according to a news release from health authorities Friday.
The Provincial Health Services Authority will oversee the clinics through a new Interdisciplinary COVID-19 Care Network.
Minister of Health Adrian Dix said some people who recover from COVID-19 experience long-term health effects.
“Through the dedication of a large team of experts and health leaders across the province, we are working to ensure that specialized care is available to British Columbians, when they need it,” he said, in a statement.
The clinics will connect patients with a network of specialists and health professionals with on-site or telephone appointments.
