The Bateman Horne Center (BHC) in Salt Lake City has launched new programs and resources to mark ME/CFS Awareness Month, aiming to improve clinical care and raise awareness for people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Long COVID, and other infection-associated chronic conditions (IACCs).

As of May 1, BHC is offering a series of self-paced patient education modules developed in collaboration with Emerge Australia. The organization said the new resources are designed to help individuals living with ME/CFS and IACCs identify triggers for post-exertional malaise and orthostatic intolerance, create personalized pacing plans, and improve communication with their healthcare providers. BHC believes the modules will empower patients to better manage their daily health and strengthen clinical outcomes between visits.

On May 9, BHC plans to release the Clinical Care Guide: Managing ME/CFS, Long COVID, and Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions. Developed in partnership with the Open Medicine Foundation (OMF), the new guide provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based diagnostic tools, treatment strategies, patient interview techniques, and templates for documenting disability accommodations.

Dr. Melanie Hoppers, Chief Medical Officer at BHC, said the guide is intended to transform uncertainty into action for both providers and patients. “It’s not just about treating illness—it’s about restoring partnership, trust, and hope,” she said.

The launch of the clinical guide comes at a time when the healthcare system is still grappling with how to diagnose and manage ME/CFS, Long COVID, and related conditions such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome, and small fiber neuropathy. According to BHC, despite millions being affected globally, these conditions remain widely misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and poorly managed — not due to individual failures but because of systemic gaps in research, education, and clinical resources. Recent findings from the NIH-funded RECOVER-Adult study highlight the urgency, with 4.5% of people who contracted COVID-19 later developing ME/CFS within six months, a rate nearly five times higher than those who had not been infected.

The clinical care guide will be made available through BHC’s provider network, the Project ECHO series, and several advocacy organizations. BHC said it hopes the resource will reach clinicians across primary care, neurology, cardiology, and other specialties. Healthcare providers interested in accessing the guide can find it through the Bateman Horne Center website.

To support the launch, BHC will host a free clinical webinar on Friday, May 9, at 12 p.m. MT. The session will feature Jennifer Bell, FNP-C, Dr. Hoppers, and BHC’s Education Director Tahlia Ruschioni, who will introduce BHC’s comprehensive care model and the new clinical guide. Registration information is available online.

In addition to its educational initiatives, BHC is inviting community members to share personal experiences of living with ME/CFS and Long COVID. Through May 11, individuals can submit creative expressions — including photos, poetry, videos, or drawings — which will be compiled into a video to be showcased during BHC’s May 13 support group meeting and shared through its communication channels to raise awareness.

The Bateman Horne Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving healthcare access for individuals with ME/CFS, Long COVID, and other infection-associated chronic conditions. Through clinical care, research, education, and community initiatives, BHC seeks to empower patients and healthcare providers to improve outcomes and quality of life.