On Nov. 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the Health+ Long COVID Report. This report represents the next step in the federal government’s coordinated efforts to design and implement innovative solutions to the challenges that people with long COVID experience. HHS deliberately solicited input from the community to advance this work, including the voices of patients, advocates, health care providers, researchers, and public health experts.
The Health+ Long COVID Report illustrates the barriers that long COVID patients face when trying to access health care and when they try to obtain public assistance. Additionally, the report identifies where the government can make additional investments to address the growing needs of people living with long COVID. This report represents meaningful progress in the government’s efforts to raise awareness about the life-changing impacts and debilitating chronic symptoms of long COVID.
Pandemic Patients was invited to participate in the agency’s development of the Health+ Long COVID Report, and we leveraged this opportunity to elevate the experiences of people in our community who have been affected by long COVID. We are very pleased to see our contributions reflected in the final version of the report that HHS released. The Health+ Long COVID Report includes a special acknowledgment of our participation on Page 83.
Following the release of the Health+ Long COVID Report, the Biden Administration submitted a $750 million supplemental funding request to Congress to support long COVID research and community needs. This funding would support the agency’s continued work on long COVID, health care providers that serve long COVID patients, and community organizations that provide support and services to people affected by long COVID. Pandemic Patients supports this funding request because it would provide much-needed resources for the long COVID public support ecosystem while improving access to care for patients.
