CRANBERRY TWP — Allegheny Health Network has established a dedicated clinic for COVID-19 “long-haulers,” the health care system announced Wednesday.

The AHN Post COVID-19 Recovery Clinic, located at the Breathing Disorders Center at the AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion, will address the needs of patients suffering from the longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Tariq Cheema, director of pulmonary, critical care, sleep and allergy at AHN, said doctors around the country are seeing a large number of patients experiencing pulmonary, heart and vascular problems months after recovery. Other issues, such as chronic fatigue and psychological harm, have surfaced too.

In February, infectious disease specialists from the University of Washington published a study finding about one-third of mild COVID-19 patients reported persistent symptoms up to nine months after infection, with a higher rate of about 43.3 percent in patients older than age 65.

“Long-COVID” symptoms, according to AHN, include fatigue, shortness of breath, scarred lung tissue, cardiac or neurological complications, and depression. As many as 8.4 million people in the United States are estimated to be “long-haulers.”

“The ramifications of the pandemic will continue to be seen in this new patient population, and we're looking forward to helping these individuals diagnose their symptoms, navigate their treatment path and ease some of their concerns,” Cheema said.

Cheema said the decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations allows AHN to focus on helping patients who were ill some time ago, but still experience symptoms. The Post COVID-19 Recovery Clinic includes caregivers from behavioral health, cardiovascular, critical care, family medicine and pulmonary disciplines, and an assigned nurse navigator will help patients design and implement a “care pathway” for managing and treating post-acute COVID-19 symptoms.

The clinic is located at 12311 Perry Highway in Wexford.