In October 2021, County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who chairs the Health and Hospital Committee, convened a special hearing on Long COVID. Now over two years into the pandemic, individuals who had COVID-19 are experiencing lingering effects of the illness, turning an emergent public health issue into an ongoing one. In calling for a special hearing, Simitian said, “Our County needs to be well positioned to address the long-term health needs of our community, and residents need to know what our County is doing to address the need and just what services are available to them.”