by Desert Oasis Healthcare

A recent New York Times article entitled “When My Mom Got COVID, I Went Searching for Pfizer’s Pills” told the reporter’s personal story of frustration in accessing treatment options. Meanwhile, Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) has worked hard to provide COVID-19 treatment options for patients in its service area of the Coachella Valley and the high-desert communities of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

However, with variants like Omicron bringing higher COVID-19 positivity rates, the demand for the treatment drugs sometimes exceeds available supply. “We’ve set up COVID-19 treatment tents in Palm Springs and Indio where our providers, nurses, and pharmacists are working together to prioritize the needs of those in our community who are seeking care,” said Dr. Marc Hoffing, DOHC Medical Director. “Our clinical teams can triage patients by assessing those needing immediate treatment by us, as opposed to those who can safely weather their illness at home, and those who really need to be seen at the hospital.”

A good working relationship with the County allowed DOHC to be one of only four sites in Riverside County offering a range of therapies. These include all three IV (intravenous) monoclonal antibody treatments – Bamlanivumab/Etesevimab, REGEN-COV, and Sotrovimab – as well as the two oral antivirals, Paxlovid and Molnupiravir. “As one of the only local non-pharmacy sites, we offer therapy to our entire community, not just our members,” said Lindsey Valuenzuela, PharmD and AVP of Population Health Integration. “We review each positive case to evaluate which therapies are appropriate given the patient’s medications, kidney function, ability to adhere to oral drug therapy versus a one-time IV treatment, and our availability of the appropriate drug.”

Almost since the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Valenzuela and Dr. Brian Hodgkins, PharmD and EVP of Clinical Operations have been providing weekly clinical updates and answering local radio listener questions on The Joey English Show. Hodgkins added, “For two years, DOHC front-line and support teams have risen to a new challenge in doing what we all do best: serving our members and the community as a whole.”