DHR Health Partnership to Bring Clinical Trials to Starr County

Starr County’s partnership with DHR Health has only grown stronger under pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic and one of their latest collaborations is to bring clinical trials to the county hospital.

Residents of Starr County may soon have the opportunity to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials, according to Dr. Antonio Falcon, the county’s recently appointed health authority.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Falcon said following a discussion with DHR Health officials on Monday, the researchers leading the trial were looking to recruit around 500 residents of Starr and Hidalgo counties for the purpose to recruit more people of Latin American origin.

“As you’ve all read, vaccinations look very, very promising,” Falcon said at Tuesday’s press conference. “One of the things the drug companies did this year was that while they were doing the vaccinations, they were also preparing the vaccination so that when (the United States Food and Drug Administration) gives its approval , there will be a lot of drugs, a lot of vaccinations available to us. “

Dr Sohail Rao, CEO and President of DHR Health’s Research and Development Institute, confirmed efforts to bring clinical trials to Starr County.

“DHR Health Research Institute is working with Starr County Memorial Hospital to deliver innovative clinical trials in cancer, liver disease, infectious disease, diabetes, obesity and many other specialties , disciplines to the citizens of Starr County, ”said Rao.

But another more immediate collaboration between the two health facilities focuses on collecting convalescent plasma for people already infected with COVID-19.

“We are working with the hospital to provide them with convalescent plasma for severe and potentially fatal COVID-19 patients and, to date, we have actually performed 47 convalescent plasma infusions in 47 patients,” said Rao.

On Saturday, the Starr County Memorial will host a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. plasma drive in its lobby.

People over 18, who have recovered from coronavirus disease, have experienced symptoms but have been symptom-free for at least 28 days, are encouraged to donate plasma.

“Patients who have recovered from COVID have the ability and the antibodies to fight infection for someone else,” Falcon said. “It has worked remarkably well in some patients.”

He added that the plasma would not be sent outside the Rio Grande Valley but used to help patients locally.

Other treatment has also been made available at the hospital, Falcon said, with the approval of Aviptadil, an antiviral intended to treat respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19.

The FDA approved the drug on Monday through its Expanded Access Protocol, a route for experimental drugs to be used for life-threatening conditions. DHR Health also announced on Tuesday that the drug would be available to its patients.

“It’s a newer drug that helps fight viral infection in the lungs, in particular,” Falcon said. “It seems to work well as an antiviral.”

Otherwise, the situation at Starr County Memorial Hospital would improve.

Instead of the dire situation hospital officials found themselves in just a month ago, struggling to transfer patients requiring advanced levels of care, Falcon said the hospital now has more capacity and that transfers were not as necessary.

“The situation in the hospital is better,” he says. “There are more beds available; it is very easy to transfer patients, especially patients who need intubation and a higher level of care.

As of Monday, Falcon said, the hospital had 16 patients in the COVID-19 unit and 15 others requiring intensive care. He said no patient was on a ventilator, however, one patient was ventilated and transferred on Monday. In addition, there were three patients on BiPAP machines.

“The general situation in our community remains very serious, to say the least,” Falcon said. “However, there are glimmers of hope.”