Long Covid Services for Townsville & North Queensland
Alliance Rehabilitation can provide a range of rehabilitation services for those who are suffering the long term effects of Covid-19.
The Beginnings of COVID-19
COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that was first detected in 2019 and spread rapidly across the globe. Caused by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus has caused millions of deaths around the world as well as lasting health problems in some who have survived the illness.
While most people infected with coronavirus may only experience mild illness, some may experience more severe effects such as respiratory failure, long term lung and heart damage, nervous system issues, kidney failure or even death.
Beyond Hospitalization
While vaccinations have shown to reduce the number of deaths, with greater community spread, we will see more people requiring hospitalisation.
As the Covid epidemic continues, the focus has started to shift from the immediate effects and studies are beginning to uncover longer-term health effects of COVID-19. An emerging area of concern is a condition that medical experts are referring to as Long Covid.
What is Long Covid?
Long Covid, or Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), has been shown to affect up to 10% of those who have had experienced a COVID-19 infection.
For a long period of time after the initial infection, people can experience a range of negative side effects. These can include pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive issues such as ‘brain fog’.
- Staying Up to Date: Alliance Rehabilitation follow all the current health directives and guidelines from Queensland Health. We liaise with the Townsville University Hospital (TUH) and local health providers to keep up to date with the latest safety information.
- Education & Training: We have a robust set of policies and procedures for our team including emergency planning, Infection Control, Hand Hygiene training and mandatory requirement to wear masks.
- Vaccination: Our team comply with the Workers in a healthcare setting (COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements) Direction.
- Illness free zone: Daily temperature checks are mandatory for all staff and visitors. This is to limit spread of all infectious illness in the workplace to minimise harm to all personnel, patients, and the community. Staff and visitors are advised not to attend with any illness.
- Offsite Work Arrangements: Services such as report writing, telehealth and administrative duties have been moved offsite to reduce the number of people in our clinics. Our meetings are conducted via webchat and phone calls to reduce unnecessary contact.
- Complex Team Management: Our teams are rostered in cohorts (groups) to limit the risk of contagious spread so we can maintain continuous multidiscipline support. Those who have recently travelled into high-risk areas are required to return negative Covid tests before commencing work in our clinics.
- Appointments & Scheduling: Our clinical support team carefully plan participant schedules and review “at risk” individuals. Like all Queensland businesses, we utilise the Check In Qld app for all visitors for faster contact tracing to keep our participants safe.
- Socially Distanced Spaces: Room capacity limits are clearly signed throughout our facility and have been maintained throughout the pandemic. These will adjust based on the latest health advice.
- Rapid Testing: Our team are required to undergo onsite rapid antigen testing followed up by PCR tests in the event of any sudden close contact notifications.
- Our Commitment to You: We prioritize your safety and that of our team above all else. If you have suggestions on how we can make your therapy journey safer, please email feedback@alliancerehab.com.au
How is Alliance Rehabilitation different?
We are a community rehabilitation facility and work across multiple disciplines to provide a comprehensive service. Our community approach allows us to tailor a program to each individual and ensure we are meeting your goals. Our clinicians collaborate to aid in your rehabilitation, and we provide comprehensive assessments, therapy planning, and monitoring to ensure you are experiencing the best quality of life.
Our clinicians are passionate about improving your wellbeing and ensuring you are physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially healthy. Take the next step on your recovery journey by contacting us today.
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References
- What Is Coronavirus? | Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Immune-Based Prediction of COVID-19 Severity and Chronicity Decoded Using Machine Learning (nih.gov)
- Outcomes Among Patients Referred to Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinics after COVID-19 diagnosis — United States, January 2020–March 2021 (cdc.gov)
- Improving long-term outcomes after discharge from intensive care unit: report from a stakeholders’ conference – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Limited recovery from post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) at eight months in a prospective cohort | medRxiv
