Madonna offers one-stop rehab shop for Nebraska’s long COVID patients

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The COVID-19 pandemic may be over, but 87,000 Nebraskans are still dealing with symptoms of the virus.

They’re known as COVID long-haulers, and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals created a rehab care system to help them.

Each patient receives customized care, according to Dr. Judy Burnfield, vice president of research at Madonna.

“Our therapy is typically one-on-one with patients if that’s what’s most important and what’s most needed by that individual,” she said. “And so they may have a therapy scheduled specifically tailored to them for receiving physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy sessions set up through the day and through the week.”

The COVID rehab clinic is made possible through $7.5 million in grants.

Some of that money was used to buy state-of-the-art virtual reality equipment for physical and coordination rehab at the Lincoln campus.

Patients with long COVID may have muscle weakness or heart and lung problems. Some also experience anxiety and depression.

And some have all those and more.

Mary Schulte has 57 total symptoms, but thanks to Madonna’s system, she can get care for all of them in one place.

She said she is already getting better, though it was hard for her to have hope at the beginning.

“I truly was floating down to an abyss before I came here,” Schulte said. “So in many ways, they’ve saved me, you know, and brought me back up.”