On May 1, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved emergency use of the experimental drug Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19, after early data from ongoing clinical trials showed promising results in helping severely ill patients recover from the virus. Earlier this week, Logansport Memorial Hospital received notification from the federal government (through FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services) that we were chosen as a site to receive Remdesivir, for immediate use and as appropriate treatment for COVID-19 patients in our facility.
Upon notification of receiving Remdesivir, Logansport Memorial Hospital quickly formed a multi-specialty team of physicians, who worked to develop an evidence based set of criteria for administering the drug to patients. It was also determined and agreed upon that the medication would follow patients, as appropriate, if they were transferred out of our facility for a higher level of critical care to one of the larger hospitals in our region or the state.
Because Cass County has reported high numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in such a short period of time, Logansport Memorial Hospital has been preparing for the ongoing possibility that a significant percentage of those positive cases may require hospitalization, as the virus runs its course. The initial findings from these preliminary studies have shown that patients, who met similar criteria to what our physicians developed this week, recovered more quickly from COVID-19 when given Remdesivir. If patients are able to recover and leave the hospital faster, it gives Logansport Memorial Hospital the opportunity to take care of more patients who need specialized care that only a hospital can provide.
The very limited supply of Remdesivir medication we received is being administered throughout our service area, to maximize the number of Hoosiers that we can help to fight and recover from COVID-19. We will begin administering doses of Remdesivir immediately to our existing COVID-19 patients, as long as they meet the criteria developed by our physicians. For patients who have already been transferred to other facilities, Logansport Memorial Hospital is sending treatment doses for those patients if they meet the approved criteria for treatment. From this point forward, Remdesivir medication being used as treatment will follow Logansport Memorial Hospital patients who are transferred to other facilities, as appropriate.
Logansport Memorial Hospital’s commitment to the rural communities we serve and the patients who depend on us has never wavered during the COVID-19 pandemic. With such a limited supply of this experimental drug comes a tremendous responsibility to use it wisely and appropriately, so that we can make the most of its impact on the severely ill patients in our care. We will continue doing all that we can to accommodate patients from our north central Indiana service area, helping them fight and recover from COVID-19 and using all available resources that we can leverage to do so.
For more information on our response to COVID-19, visit our page.
