"We're hoping that this resource will help to decrease the number of patients that are hospitalized from this disease," Pickett said at a Jan. 13 news conference. "We know, however, that the need far outstrips what we have available."
Currently, Pickett said the facility has the capacity to treat around 25 patients each day but hopes to build that capacity up to 75. Patients are referred from Austin Public Health's COVID-19 testing staff, as well as health care organizations such as CommUnityCare. Pickett also announced a call center had been established for the facility to process referral requests from local physicians, prioritizing vulnerable individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus. The facility, which is set up at 2901 Montopolis Drive, Austin, in the parking lot of CommUnityCare's Southeast Health & Wellness Center, does not accept walk-ins.
The Regional COVID-19 Therapeutic Infusion Center is staffed by a state contractor, but leaders from the city and county have had a hand in setting up the facility and choosing its location in Southeast Austin, an area that has seen high COVID-19 positivity rates."We're investing in Southeast Travis County," Travis County Judge Andy Brown said. "We're working with the state and the city and the county and all of our local partners together."
As access to Regeneron expands, Pickett said he expects to see similar treatment facilities in other areas of Travis County.
