The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a free public webinar titled “The Lasting Effects of COVID-19 on Patients, the Health Care System and the World” at Noon Friday, June 18 via Zoom.

As new COVID-19 infections recede in the United States, expert panelists will discuss some lasting effects of the pandemic, both good and bad. Some "long hauler" COVID-19 patients have not completely recovered months after their initial infection.  Increased use of telemedicine prompted by the pandemic will improve access to health care long-term, and new COVID-19 variants, vaccine hesitancy and global COVID-19 activity suggest that the pandemic is still not over.

Panelists include Dr. Ahmed Khan, senior fellow infectious diseases at SIU School of Medicine; Dr. Vidya Sundareshan, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at SIU School of Medicine and medical advisor to the Sangamon County Department of Public Health; and Laura Hepp Kessel, director of telehealth services at SIU School of Medicine. The discussion will be moderated by Molly Lamb, executive director of the UIS Center of State Policy and Leadership.

In order to attend the event, please register online at go.uis.edu/COVIDwebinar. A Zoom link will be emailed to those who register.

For more information, contact Molly Lamb, executive director of the UIS Center of State Policy and Leadership, at 217-206-8622 or mehle01s@uis.edu.