New COVID-19 Treatment Center Opens In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County's first state-supported Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center to combat severe and life-threatening illness in COVID-19 patients has opened at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

The center started welcoming patients on Monday, and will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday by appointment.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses.

"Monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 are directed against the spike protein of SARS-COV2, designed to block the virus' attachment and entry into human cells," according to the California Department of Public Health's website.

Monoclonal antibody treatment is available to people ages 12 and older with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who also meet certain criteria under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization.

To be eligible to receive monoclonal antibodies, a patient must meet three of the following criteria:

1. Positive SARS-CoV-2 test result
2. Symptoms that started within the last 10 days
3. Have at least one of these risk factors: a Body Mass Index of at least 25; chronic kidney disease; diabetes mellitus; pregnancy; immunosuppressive disease; be receiving immunosuppressive treatment; OR be 65 years of age or older; OR be 55 years of age or older and have one of the following:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Hypertension
• COPD/other chronic respiratory illness

Eligible patients will be administered REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab), an early treatment with monoclonal antibodies, which was first authorized by the FDA last November.

The RUHS Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center is a partnership with California's Emergency Medical Services Authority. The state-funded operation aims to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the community by reducing disease progression, hospitalization, healthcare resource demand, and the risk of morbidity and mortality, according to RUHS.

“We here at Riverside University Health System are proud to open our first state-supported Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center in Riverside County,” said Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Geoffrey Leung. “The facility at RUHS Medical Center provides a valuable addition in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. By administering monoclonal antibodies we are aiming to take a preventative stance to keep infected patients from having to be hospitalized or admitted to the ICU.”

Dr. Mike Mesisca, Emergency Medicine Department Chair of RUHS Medical Center, said he and his colleagues have "seen firsthand the impact the virus has on patients. Offering this treatment gives our patients a chance to fight off a virus that has devastated our communities."

While the RUHS facility is the first state-supported Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center in Riverside County, it is not the only one offering the treatment. According to the state-referenced National Infusion Center Association website, there are seven other facilities in the county that offer the treatment for COVID-19 patients:

• Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta
• Menifee Global Medical Center
• San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning
• First Americans Wellness in Banning
• Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs
• Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage
• River's Edge Pharmacy in Palm Desert

The RUHS Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center is located on the lower level of the RUHS Medical Center. Patients should enter from Nason Street. Designated parking for patients visiting the MAB Treatment Center is adjacent to the emergency department mobile office trailers (see map below). MAB clinic personnel will escort patients from the parking area to and from the clinic by using a designated route.

For questions about scheduling, contact the clinic directly at 951-486-6520.