County Opens Monoclonal Antibody COVID-19 Treatment Center

Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Medical Center and the California’s Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) have partnered together to open the hospital’s first Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center to mitigate severe disease within COVID-19 patients.

"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."

The center started welcoming patients on Monday, Sept. 14 and will be available Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. by appointment. 

"We have seen firsthand the impact the virus has on patients," said Dr. Mike Mesisca, Emergency Medicine Department Chair of RUHS Medical Center. "Offering this treatment gives our patients a chance to fight off a virus that has devastated our communities. By offering monoclonal antibody treatment, we are positioning ourselves in a way to protect some of the most vulnerable patients by working to prevent severe illness."

The treatment center is available to people ages 12+ with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who also meet the following criteria under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization:

To be eligible to receive monoclonal antibodies, a patient must meet three (3) of the following criteria:

1. Positive SARS-CoV-2 test result

2. Symptoms that started within the last ten days

3. Among the third potential criteria, patients must have risk factors for severe disease, including Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, immunosuppressive disease, be receiving immunosuppressive treatment OR be 65 years old or older OR 55 years old or older AND have one of the following

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

The Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Center is a state-funded operation that 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. Eligible patients will be administered REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab), an early treatment with monoclonal antibodies, which was first authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2020.

"We are the state greatly appreciate these partnerships as they allow an expedited and expanded delivery of these life-saving medications to our communities," said Dr. Dave Duncan, EMSA Director. 

The clinic 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 above). MAB clinic personnel will escort patients from the parking area to and from the clinic by using a designated route. 

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