Evergreen House Health Center patients benefit from new COVID-19 treatment

Evergreen House Health Center in East Providence, Rhode Island, has partnered with Omnicare to offer a new COVID-19 treatment to patients.

Residents who have tested positive have the option of receiving monoclonal antibody treatments, an infusion treatment administered by a nurse at the center through an IV.

The Rhode Island Department of Health made the staff at the facility aware of the treatment, which has received emergency use approval from the FDA, and leadership reached out to the pharmacy to see if it was available.

“We worked with our nurses, medical director, corporate personnel, division personnel and Omnicare to start to treat patients,” said Nathaniel Cushing, executive director. “We completed our first treatment on Dec. 21, and we have since treated 17 patients.”

Bamlanivimab, the monoclonal antibody the treatment uses, is designed to aid the patient’s immune system in blocking the attachment of COVID-19 to the patient’s cells.

“So far, the results have been very promising,” Nathaniel said. “There have been no adverse reactions, and all patients saw improvement. Residents that have received the treatment all had mild symptoms and recovered quickly.”