Marshall Health and Cabell Huntington Hospital have set up a new clinic in Huntington to support patients who experience COVID-19 symptoms weeks and months later. The condition is often referred to as “long COVID.”
Marshall Health and Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) have set up a new clinic in Huntington to support patients who experience COVID-19 symptoms weeks and months later. The condition is often referred to as “long COVID.”
Marshall Health Pulmonologists Imran T. Khawaja, M.D., and Mohammed AlJasmi, M.D., are leading a multidisciplinary team of physical therapists, mental health professionals, neurologists and social workers to provide ongoing care and treatment for patients 18 or older who are experiencing long-term effects from a COVID-19 infection.
Patients with long COVID may experience persistent COVID-19 related symptoms for at least three months — or more than 30 days after hospitalization with COVID-19. As many as 25 percent of patients may suffer from one or more symptoms that persist nine months or longer after COVID-19, according to CDC datapublished in May.
Long COVID symptoms vary from patient to patient but may include shortness of breath, persistent pneumonia/fibrosis, fatigue, fever, gastrointestinal disorders, difficulty thinking or concentrating, difficulty sleeping, heart palpitations and/or joint pain.
“We are still learning about the effects of ‘long COVID,’ since it is a new syndrome,” said Khawaja, professor and chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “By bringing various specialists together, our clinicians work collaboratively to identify health problems in the early recovery phase and actively treat symptoms to facilitate improvement in function and reduce symptoms.”
Patients will be seen at the CHH Center for Lung Health, located at 1305 Elm Street in Huntington.
A referral from a primary care provider, physical therapist or pulmonary rehabilitation center is required for patients to be seen at the post-COVID clinic.
For more information, please contact the CHH Center for Lung Health at 304-399-2881 or visitmarshallhealth.org/longCOVID.
Hearing aids can now be purchased over the counter at stores nationwide as part of President Joe’s Biden’s effort to increase access to the pricey devices.
Hearing aids can now be purchased over the counter at stores nationwide as part of President Joe’s Biden’s effort to increase access to the pricey devices.
Only one in four adults who could benefit from a hearing aid have ever used them, according to data from federal health officials.
The cost for over-the-counter hearing aids ranges from $200 to $1,000 a pair, and they’re meant for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
The price tag for a specialized pair, required for people with more severe hearing loss, ranges from $2,000 to $8,000. Hearing aids aren’t covered by all insurance plans, and most Medicare plans do not cover routine hearing care or hearing aids.
Dr. Nancy Aarts, associate professor at West Virginia University’s School of Audiology, said audiologists have struggled even more during the COVID-19 pandemic to find affordable hearing aid options for patients – something that is often needed with West Virginia’s high poverty rate.
“Over the counter technology is really good for the country, and we still need the prices of hearing aids down,” Aarts said. “What I hope to see is an outcome that would cause people who sell hearing aids to lower their prices.”
West Virginia Association for the Deaf President Chris Mick said he regularly speaks with people suffering from hearing loss who cannot afford hearing aids.
“For someone who has profound hearing like me, (over-the-counter hearing aids) would not work,” said Mick, who provided this interview through an interpreter.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources shared this resource for people who need financial assistance paying for hearing aids, though Mick noted some of the resources still have barriers, like requiring employment.
Aarts emphasized the over-the-counter option should not deter people from seeing an audiologist, who could diagnose other hearing issues and treatment.
“Hearing aids are not the only answer to people who have trouble communicating because of their hearing. There are other services audiologists offer,” she said.
The state’s health leaders are preparing for the approval of a new COVID-19 vaccine booster next month.
The state’s health leaders are preparing for the approval of a new COVID-19 vaccine booster next month.
During Monday’s COVID-19 briefing, Gov. Jim Justice and his advisors discussed the expected approval and distribution as early as next week of an omicron-focused COVID-19 vaccine booster.
Ret. Maj. Gen. Jim Hoyer said the state has placed its orders with the federal government, and as with previous vaccine rollouts, older populations and frontline workers will be prioritized.
“We’re going to be focusing on long-term care, assisted living, West Virginians over the age of 65 and will also be engaged in working to get those updated boosters to health care workers, first responders and those on the front lines,” Hoyer said. “We have approximately just short of a 50,000 dose authorization in this initial phase.”
State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad reminded West Virginians that regular vaccines and boosters are still available.
“As the team mentioned on here, the omicron boosters that are anticipated being approved are going to be prioritized for long term care and older than 65,” Amjad said. “So if you’re 50 years old, and you can get your fourth dose, we still encourage you to go ahead and get that.”
With Labor Day travel and holiday events this weekend, Hoyer anticipated a surge of cases, and asked West Virginians to take precautions.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.
The West Virginia Hospital Association is urging state and federal policymakers to help hospitals by increasing the amount of money provided to patients through government insurance programs.
As health care prices continue to rise, hospitals are feeling the squeeze.
The West Virginia Hospital Association is urging state and federal policymakers to help hospitals by increasing the amount of money provided to patients through government insurance programs.
Association President and CEO Jim Kaufman argued recently that West Virginia hospitals are at a disadvantage. He claimed 75 percent, or 3 out of 4 patients, receive their health insurance through government programs – Medicare, Medicaid, and the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA).
West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) found that as of March 2022, 75,292 West Virginians are enrolled in PEIA and 442,545 in Medicare. As of July 2021, 584,000 West Virginians received Medicaid. This, however, does not account for the state’s uninsured population.
Kaufman said each of these programs pay hospitals less than the cost of care and these payment rates are non-negotiable since they are set by the government.
A report from the American Hospital Association (AHA) in April highlighted necessary hospital expenses have seen an increase from 2019 to 2021. Labor – which accounts for as much as 50 percent of a hospital’s expenses – have increased 19 percent, while drug expenses are up 37 percent.
In an email to WVPB, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources – which manages the state’s Medicaid program – said the organization partners directly with the hospital association to ensure rates are appropriate.
Separately, the West Virginia Department of Administration – which manages PEIA – said via email they have increased reimbursements over the past two years, as well as pay 20 percent more for inpatient COVID cases. However, the email did state that reimbursements for inpatient hospital stays have not increased.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.
It’s been more than five years since the West Virginia Legislature approved the use of medical cannabis in West Virginia. Dispensaries are opening across the state, but the industry is still in its infancy.
It’s been more than five years since the West Virginia Legislature approved the use of medical cannabis in West Virginia. Dispensaries are opening across the state, but the industry is still in its infancy.
The first medical cannabis dispensary in West Virginia opened in Morgantown in November 2021. Since then, the state has slowly but surely built up its capacity to serve patients.
In an email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Jason Frame, director of the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC), said that seven of the state’s 10 licensed cultivators are now operational, but only 17 of a potential 100 licensed dispensaries are open.
Those dispensaries are not evenly distributed across the state. The Morgantown area alone has four operational dispensaries, with another set to open any day.
“Unfortunately, they’re not spread out, especially the Eastern Panhandle.” said Johnny McFadden, co-founder of Mountaineer Integrated Care. “You look at the map, there’s nothing, and that is a huge barrier to patient access right now.”
He hopes to fill the gap in the Eastern Panhandle in the coming months with the opening of a dispensary in Ravenswood.
West Virginia is in the process of building the entire infrastructure for medical cannabis from the ground up. Until last year, there was no growing know-how in the state. Not any obtained legally, at least.
“It’s our prerogative to hire local,” McFadden said. “You couldn’t possibly have legal cannabis experience as a potential employee, unless you’re breaking the law, which makes it tough to put it on a resume.”
This puts larger, nationally established companies at an advantage. They can draw on years of growing experience in other legal markets, as well as existing genetic libraries. However, even the bigger companies can’t shortcut nature.
“It takes months for the plant to be grown,” said Drew Bayley. He is the director of operations for the Midwest for Columbia Care, which retails under the brand name Cannabist. They operate in 18 states, as well as the European Union.
“At our facility, we have to be really on top of our processes and procedures,” Bayley said. “In a medical market like West Virginia, it’s really important that you’re always thinking six steps ahead.”
Chris Schulz
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The exterior of the newly opened Cannabist dispensary on Don Knotts Boulevard in Morgantown, operated by Columbia Care.
It’s never easy to know how much of any product a market might demand months in advance. That’s doubly true of a new market where new consumers need to be licensed by the state.
“So you have a little bit less flexibility there, you have patients depending on you,” Bayley said. “If you don’t plan ahead, it’s really easy to throw yourself off in the future.”
Via email, Frame acknowledged that there was a shortage of medical cannabis products during the initial launch of dispensaries in West Virginia, but said that the problem was quickly resolved.
Growth is certainly a watchword in the industry. In the seven months since Florida-based cannabis company Trulieve opened the state’s first dispensary, the Office of Medical Cannabis reports that medical cannabis product sales have totaled nearly $5 million.
“No pun intended, we’re growing,” said Heather Peairs, the West Virginia area manager for Trulieve.
With plenty of money to be made, and a lot of space to grow, there is a sense of collaboration that pervades the state’s burgeoning industry.
“You have to realize that everyone in the state is new from Trulieve being new to the state to our growth facility to the Office of Medical Cannabis, the labs that are testing, everybody’s new,” Peairs said. “We’re all growing together.”
Ultimately, everyone involved in West Virginia’s cannabis industry is involved for one simple reason: to help patients.
“So our cultivation is continuously looking at, ‘What is it that our patients are really looking for in West Virginia?’” Peairs said. “It’s a true medical state. Our patients are looking for relief.”
West Virginia’s laws specify a limited number of conditions for the use of medical cannabis, many of which are either terminal or entail chronic pain and discomfort.
“We’re all working to build this industry from the ground up, because that’s what our permits give us the privilege to do,” McFadden said. “Anything that is better for the patients from us or any company, we’re happy to see.”
Colton Mearkle is a registered nurse at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. When the pandemic began, his floor was converted to caring for COVID-19 patients.
He spoke with Eric Douglas recently about treating coronavirus patients and what he wants the rest of us to know.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Douglas: Describe for me the care that you provide for a COVID patient.
Mearkle: We come in in the morning and get our assignment. Pre-COVID we would go and introduce ourselves to the patient. Now, with COVID, we do that outside the room. We stand at the window and talk about the patient. When we’re going in to introduce ourselves, we have to wear a CAPR, a gown, double gloves, booties and a mask.
We also assess where they’re at in terms of their sickness. So, for instance a patient comes in and they developed symptoms three days ago. They’re clinically getting worse. We say, “Okay, let’s see if we can give them some convalescent plasma” or if they’re ready for Remdesivir, stuff like that. It just all kind of depends on where they are symptom-wise and where they are clinically.
Douglas: What are your thoughts when you see the big parties and people refusing to wear masks? How does that strike you?
Mearkle: I can look at it both ways. I can see it as a healthcare worker that there are people in here every day that are extremely sick, having to be intubated. And people that are going out, not really caring about wearing a mask. I personally wear a mask. I think we should wear masks, but I’m not going to judge them and say that they should wear a mask. I am wearing a mask because it’s protecting me. But if they don’t want to wear the mask, then I guess that’s their choice.
Douglas: I’m sure you’ve lost a few patients with COVID. We’ve heard all the stories about families not being able to be with their loved ones. What’s that like for you guys? How much of a burden is that on you?
Mearkle: That’s probably the hardest thing and something we see more than people realize. I think we’ve had a mother; a mother and a son; a mother, father, son; a mother, father and two sons; and a husband and wife. I can think of four or five families off the top of my head. And that’s just familywise. I think the saddest part is to see that one of these patients gets critically ill, one of them has to go to the ICU, and the other one isn’t taking the virus as hard. And they can’t see each other. They can’t communicate with each other.
Some patients can be in the hospital for 50 days. I think the longest patient we had on our floor was 55 days, and he didn’t see anything outside of his room. Staring at four walls and a window for 55 days, it’s pretty terrible.
I think the saddest thing is, we had a patient in here, his wife passed away from COVID and his son passed away from COVID. He couldn’t go see either of their funerals. So, we did FaceTime for him to watch both of his son and his wife be buried. When you tell people about it, they obviously know what happens, but until you live it and see it, it really hits home. It’s definitely real, and I wish everybody could see it for one day. I feel like a lot of people’s ideas of this thing and people’s views of it would change.
Douglas: Is there anything that you want add?
Mearkle: There probably will be another time where we can get back to reality. But I think that what we’ve done as a country, as a state, in terms of following these guidelines, whether you agree or disagree, I think it’s helped maintain a bridge where our hospital systems aren’t getting overwhelmed. So even just the general public knowing that following these guidelines, wearing your masks, has helped the hospital tremendously. So we, as frontliners, would like to thank the people who have been abiding by these rules.
This story is brought to you by Appalachia Health News, a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from Marshall Health and Charleston Area Medical Center.
