A Regional Infusion Center to help treat COVID-19 patients in Golden Crescent Region of Texas will open to the public this week in Victoria.
The State of Texas through the Texas Division of Emergency Management, in partnership with Victoria County, the Victoria Office of Emergency Management, Victoria ISD, and the Golden Crescent Regional Advisory Council, opened the infusion center as an additional resource for treating COVID-19.
The state-supported infusion center will open to the public on Wednesday, Sept. 22. It will include personnel, equipment, supplies and wraparound services for a 10-chair Regional Infusion Center.
“Securing this infusion center in Victoria County is a big step forward in our community’s fight against COVID-19 and is another example of what we can accomplish by working together,” said Victoria County Judge Ben Zeller.
The Regional Infusion Center is located at the Mitchell Guidance Center, 306 E. Commercial St. Victoria, TX 77901.
The facility will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Medical professionals will be able to administer a monoclonal antibody treatment to up to approximately 30-40 patients per day. The infusions are meant for COVID-19 patients who are not yet hospitalized or on oxygen supplements.
At Governor Greg Abbott’s direction, TDEM contracted with a private vendor and will provide necessary equipment and staffing resources to ensure the center is fully operational. Victoria County is assisting the regional infusion center with logistical needs as deemed necessary.
The treatment is available at no cost to patients. Patients must have tested positive for COVID-19 and have a referral from a primary care physician. These infusion centers, equipped with Regeneron’s monoclonal antibodies, will treat COVID-19 patients with therapeutic drugs that can prevent their condition from worsening and requiring hospital care. These centers also help increase bed capacity in hospitals so that resources are available for the most ill patients. The State deployed similar measures in November 2020 to communities across Texas.
Patients are eligible for the medication under the following conditions:
- Patient must NOT be hospitalized or require oxygen therapy.
- Patient must NOT require an increase in oxygen rate due to COVID-19 if using for underlying comorbidity.
- Patient MUST be within 10 days of symptom onset
Patients can contact the infusion center by calling 361-648-5732 or 361-648-5741. Doctors can fax referrals to 361-203-6236 or 361-203-8118. Patients without insurance or a primary care physician are encouraged to call the infusion center for additional information.
Texans can visit https://meds.tdem.texas.gov or call 1-800-742-5990 to find the nearest infusion center.