Occupational therapy a core discipline in new $1 million AHRQ grant expanding Long COVID clinic
August 12, 2024

By Mike McNulty

A new grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) will expand Keck Medicine of USC’s COVID Recovery Clinic, an interdisciplinary care clinic that has included occupational therapy on its collaborative team since its establishment in 2020.

The nearly $1 million award will establish the Keck COVID Recovery Clinic, Optimal Outcomes for Patients in a Comprehensive Assessment and Management Program, referred to as the Keck CO-OP CAMP.

The Keck CO-OP CAMP will expand and optimize clinical care of Long COVID, increase access to Long COVID care for underserved populations, establish USC as a regional and national hub for clinician education and increase the collection and dissemination of patient outcomes data.

“We’ve learned so much in the past four years about how occupational therapy, as part of an interdisciplinary approach to patient care, can improve the health and quality of life of people living with Long COVID,” said Associate Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy Jamieson Wilcox.

Wilcox is a co-investigator on the grant, led by Principal Investigator Caitlin Mcauley, DO, family medicine specialist with Keck Medicine of USC who treats patients through the Keck Medicine COVID Recovery Clinic, and clinical assistant professor of family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Research suggests that Long COVID affects somewhere between 15 to 30 percent of people infected with COVID-19, meaning at least 1 million people in Los Angeles County have experienced or are currently experiencing Long COVID symptoms. Fatigue, fever and respiratory issues are frequently experienced, but symptoms can also include cardiac, neurological, digestive and vascular issues. Long COVID symptoms can persist for years, and if they significantly disrupt a person’s daily function and occupations are considered a cause of disability.

“The Keck CO-OP CAMP will accelerate our ability to deliver effective interventions, reach more people and share best practices and outcomes data with other practitioners, including occupational therapists,” Wilcox said.

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