Newswise — (New York, NY – May 13, 2020) Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) is launching a new Center for Post-COVID Care for patients recovering from the virus as they transition from hospital to home. The Center, located at Mount Sinai-Union Square, will serve as a destination for patients across MSHS and will provide comprehensive multi-specialty care and systematic evaluation of the long-term impact of COVID-19. 

Although many patients with the virus experience upper airway and respiratory symptoms in the acute setting, mounting evidence suggests that these patients are also at risk for multiple systemic complications including thromboembolic disease, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, cardiovascular complications, and hepatic and renal impairment. Moreover, emerging evidence has identified striking disparities in outcomes for different patient groups, identifying older age, chronic illness, obesity, and disadvantaged socioeconomic status as important risk factors. The long-term complications of acute infection are still unknown

“Mount Sinai has been at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, treating more than 8,000 patients diagnosed with COVID-19,” said Barbara Murphy, MD, Murray M. Rosenberg Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The entire research and clinical community has raced to understand this virus and has swiftly moved treatment and testing innovations from the lab to the bedside. The Center continues that excellence by caring for a wide spectrum of patients—from those just diagnosed to those already discharged from the hospital and those who were never hospitalized but need help recovering. Patients treated at the Center will receive comprehensive clinical care and diagnostics in collaboration with multiple medical specialties including diagnostic and supportive services.”

The Center will serve as a destination for patients across the MSHS and beyond who are seeking world-class compassionate care in state-of-the-art facilities. A personalized treatment plan will be offered to patients, using advanced diagnostic tools and innovative treatment protocols from key medical specialties including primary care, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, infectious disease, nephrology, physiatry, physical and occupational therapy, radiology, neuropsychiatry, behavioral health, social work, and pharmacy. 

“Mount Sinai’s mission has always been to take care of the needs of our entire community,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “COVID-19 will be with us for years to come, and this Center will ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of their disease state or socioeconomic status, will be able to get the comprehensive, expert care they need for this complex disease.” 

The Center will include a COVID-19 Registry, in which participating patients will undergo a baseline survey to collect information regarding sociodemographics, behaviors, comorbidities, mental health conditions, and medications. Researchers will obtain baseline measures of pulmonary symptoms, cognition and other mental health measures, and physical indicators including biometrics, spirometry, EKG, bloodwork, and antibody titers for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

“This Center will provide a unique opportunity to follow this population and systematically evaluate the long-term impact of COVID-19,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System. “The Center will gather invaluable data to support a broad spectrum of biomedical research, including benchtop science, epidemiology, health services and outcomes, and health policy. We will rapidly translate the insights we gain through this research into better treatments for the wide spectrum of effects that SARS-CoV-2 has on the human body.” 

For information about the Mount Sinai Center for Post-COVID Care, visit https://www.mountsinai.org/about/covid19/center-post-covid-care or call 212-844-6300. 

###

Support Mount Sinai’s COVID-19 Response: Join us in this extraordinary and continuing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and for health equity. Donate now to support our frontline clinicians who are caring for critically ill patients and our researchers who are furthering understanding of the virus, developing therapies, and addressing the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic.  Visit www.giving.mountsinai.org.

About the Mount Sinai Health System: The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality care—from prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of the Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country. Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked regionally by specialty and our physicians in the top 1% of all physicians nationally by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.