Hospitals promote need for plasma donations from recovered COVID-19 individuals to potentially help critically ill patients
HCA Healthcare North Florida Division Hospitals from the panhandle to Central Florida have announced they are participating in a national study to determine if plasma from convalescent, or recovered, COVID-19 patients may benefit individuals currently hospitalized with severe or life-threatening cases of the virus. People who tested positive for COVID-19 and have since tested negative can help by donating plasma through the American Red Cross or another local donation center. As part of the effort, the following hospitals are participating in the study and promoting the need for eligible volunteers to donate plasma.
HCA Healthcare North Florida Division hospitals include:
- Capital Regional Medical Center
- Central Florida Regional Hospital
- Fort Walton Beach Medical Center
- Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center
- Lake City Medical Center
- North Florida Regional Medical Center
- Ocala Regional Medical Center
- Osceola Regional Medical Center
- Oviedo Medical Center
- Poinciana Medical Center
- Putnam Community Medical Center
- Twin Cities Hospital
- West Florida Hospital
To date, there is no proven therapy for individuals who are diagnosed with COVID-19, but there is a long history of successful viral infection treatment using convalescent plasma. After someone is infected with a virus like COVID-19 and recovers, their blood contains antibodies that their immune system produced to help them fight off the virus. By infusing this plasma into patients who are facing severe cases of COVID-19, their immune system might more effectively be able to fight the virus. Recent examples of this approach have occurred during outbreaks of coronaviruses like SARS-1, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), but additional clinical data – and more plasma donations – are needed to determine efficacy in treating COVID-19.
The success of the study hinges on the continued collection of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. To find out more about the donation process, eligibility and locations to donate, please call HCA Healthcare’s dedicated COVID-19 Plasma Phone Line at (833) 582-1971 or visit the website of your nearest HCA Healthcare hospital.
HCA Healthcare North Florida Division hospitals are part of a network of 172 hospitals participating from the HCA Healthcare network. HCA Healthcare, along with its Sarah Cannon Research Institute, is leveraging its clinical research capabilities and national hospital network to quickly expand collection and testing for this study, which is being led by the Mayo Clinic and supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is one of several research initiatives involving COVID-19 in which HCA Healthcare and Sarah Cannon are participating.
