PROJECT SUMMARY
Long COVID can affect many aspects of a child’s physical and mental health. Between 5 and 25% of children
with SARS-CoV-2 infection go on to develop long COVID. Persistent health disparities and socioeconomic
factors have put certain vulnerable populations at higher risk of infection, morbidity, and mortality from SARS-
CoV-2 infection. In pediatrics, children with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities (IDDs), children
from resource-limited areas (e.g., rural), and children that are uninsured or underinsured are particularly
vulnerable populations that have limited access to specialized pediatric clinics for children with COVID-19
sequelae. Even with the successes of the Pediatric Post-COVID-19 Rehabilitation Clinic at the Kennedy Krieger
Institute to garner international recognition for its integrated and person-centered multidisciplinary clinic model
and substantial research, awareness, and advocacy efforts of the clinical team, there remain critical gaps in long
COVID care for children. These gaps include limited integrative healthcare treatments, resources for navigating
schooling, and access to timely long COVID care in the community and medical home.
There are two arms to this proposal to address these gaps in multi-faceted and independent ways. Arm 1 will
involve using an innovative integrative health model of care to expand and strengthen the services of the KKI
Pediatric Post-COVID-19 Rehabilitation Clinic. This model can help support children with long lasting persistent
or fluctuating symptoms, acknowledging the critical roles schools serve as an important partner in the cultural
context of health and in the recovery process of pediatric patients. Arm 2 will involve the development of a novel
Pediatric Long COVID Telementoring ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Project. The
highly experienced clinical team will create provider education on long COVID in typically developing children
(TDC) and children with IDD to educate and mentor multidisciplinary community providers through an 8-10
course series that will be adapted annually.
In partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, this proposal will achieve the following
program objectives: (1) expand and strengthen the current clinic to utilize an innovative integrative healthcare
model, (2) provide services to more children with long COVID, (3) expand services offered, (4) strengthen care
coordination, (5) implement and share best practices for long COVID management, (6) support the primary care
community in long COVID education and management through the Pediatric Long COVID ECHO project, (7)
evaluate project success through mixed methods evaluations, and (8) disseminate project findings through
community partners. In the end, with this proposal a network of community providers across Maryland and the
Mid-Atlantic region will be established that can treat pediatric long COVID early and effectively, providing greater
access to care in vulnerable pediatric populations.
