Mount St. Mary’s Hospital to Provide Catholic Health’s First COVID-19 Antibody Clinic
Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, NY, will open Catholic Health’s first monoclonal antibiotic therapy clinic for the treatment of COVID-19 beginning the week of January 4. The outpatient clinic is designed for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous ten days, and are 65 years of age or older or have other chronic medical conditions that could lead to hospitalization. The treatment is given intravenously by medical infusion.
“Monoclonal antibiotic therapy has been shown to prevent escalation of the disease in high-risk COVID-19 positive patients,” said Thomas Cumbo, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Mount St. Mary’s Hospital. “Preventing hospitalization and disease progression in this patient population is so important, and this treatment is effective on both fronts.”
Benefits of Antibiotic Therapy for High-Risk Patients
The clinic will open with expanded treatment capacity, which is credited to the comprehensive efforts made to ensure all safety and quality protocols were exceeded prior to opening. Dr. Cumbo, who is also an Infectious Disease Specialist, sees the clinic as an opportunity to enhance care in Niagara County and outside the region, and is confident the efforts will prove even more beneficial beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This clinic is just the beginning,” he said. “As we continue to assess the healthcare needs of our community, our plan is to offer other infusion services that will improve public health while serving the residents of Niagara County close to home.”
Patients with COVID-19 should contact their primary physician to discuss a referral to the clinic as an option in their treatment.
