Governor Abbott, TDEM Launch COVID-19 Antibody Infusion Center In Texarkana Region
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), in partnership with local officials, launched a new COVID-19 therapeutic infusion center in Nash, a suburb of Texarkana. The infusion center began accepting patients today and has been provided with monoclonal antibodies to treat outpatient cases of COVID-19 with a doctor’s referral. This treatment is available at no cost to the patient. Local partners include Bowie County, the City of Nash and the City of Texarkana.
“Getting this facility up and running in Bowie County ensures Texans in the Texarkana region who test positive for COVID-19 have access to this free and effective treatment," said Governor Abbott. "Thank you to our local county and city partners for working with us on the launch of this facility."
“We’re excited about getting the Regional Infusion Center and we greatly appreciate the help we’ve received from TDEM,” said Bowie County Judge Bobby Howell. “We expect it to be a big help to our local hospital system to reduce the amount of hospitalizations and save people’s lives.”
Governor Abbott, TDEM, and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) have established and expanded antibody infusion centers in communities across the state over the past several months. COVID-19 antibody infusion treatment can prevent a patient's condition from worsening and requiring hospital care. These facilities also help increase bed capacity in hospitals so that resources are available for the most ill patients. The State deployed similar measures beginning in November 2020 to communities across Texas.
These state-sponsored infusion centers are in addition to the infusion treatment centers provided by more than 200 private health providers across the state.
Antibody infusion centers are currently operating in the following communities, with more in the planning stages:
• Amarillo (TDEM)
• Austin (DSHS)
• Beaumont (TDEM)
• Corpus Christi (DSHS)
• Edinburg (TDEM)
• Fort Worth (DSHS)
• Harlingen (TDEM)
• Houston (DSHS)
• Laredo (DSHS)
• Livingston (TDEM)
• Lubbock (TDEM)
• McKinney (TDEM)
• Nacogdoches (TDEM)
• Nash (TDEM)
• Odessa (TDEM)
• San Antonio (DSHS)
• Seguin (TDEM)
• Tyler (TDEM)
• The Woodlands (DSHS)
• Victoria (TDEM)
• Waco (TDEM)
The treatment is free and available to Texans who test positive for COVID-19 and have a referral from a doctor. Texans can visit meds.tdem.texas.gov to find a therapeutic provider near them.