BEAUMONT, Texas — Southeast Texas leaders say a major resource that could keep people out of the hospitals is the regional monoclonal antibody infusion center in Beaumont.
On Monday, the center said dozens of people were missing their appointments every day.
"I only had minor symptoms, a cough, then started losing my voice," said Orange County Commissioner Robert Viatore.
Viatore scheduled his infusion the day after he tested positive for COVID-19. He said it was a quick and easy process.
“About an hour with that, after giving me a fusion, which is about the time you have to wait afterwards, I started feeling better,” Viatore said. “But the cough started subsiding. It pretty well was gone within two days and from there, I never had any fever or any other say."
Public information officer Allison Getz said their goal is to reach 150-200 people each day. As of Wednesday, they’ve given out over 2,500 infusions since they opened.
"That is what will help decrease the amount of folks that are going to the emergency room that are being placed into the hospitals," Getz said.
Getz said they’ve fixed the no-show problem by hourly checking their appointments.
"If you've had ten no-shows, then you can schedule ten more for the next hour,” Getz said. “You know that you've got those dosages available and that you can get them done. So, by doing that hour to hour, you're able to have more flexibility."
Viatore said the infusion center is meant to relieve stress on the hospitals.
“Our healthcare workers are overworked and our facilities are pretty well stretched for women, so any treatment that your doctor, you see that may help to eliminate that stress is the direction," Viatore said.
The infusion center is located at 5500 Eastex Freeway in Beaumont and is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. They will take patients ages 12 and up, but ages 12-17 must be over 80 lbs.