Working with the City of Hope in clinical study for potential treatment for COVID-19

The goal is to develop linkage to areas of COVID-19, particularly in underserved areas of California Because of this geographic predominance of COVID-19, our strategy has been to focus on areas in Southern California. At the same time, the majority of the community hospitals that serve our local communities, many of them underprivileged both ethnically and economically, have little access to COVID-19 modifying treatments. For these underprivileged patient populations, access to convalescent plasma – a treatment proven effective and with great safety profile, can be lifesaving. Furthermore, there are large numbers of our patients that do not qualify for clinical trials due to pre-existing chronic conditions (cancer, diabetes, hypertension, severe obesity).

The co-existing conditions are also more prevalent in the Hispanic and Native American communities, making our minorities even more in need of beneficial treatments.

With collaboration with the City of Hope, we will use an English version of a website [covidplasmastudy.com] which allows COVID-19 convalescent persons to register to participate in this study.  In the next week, it will have versions in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese.  Flyers inviting convalescent persons to view the website and join the study are being distributed through Federally Qualified Health Centers where COVID-19 testing is being done.  The website contains information for the layperson, permits electronic consent procedures, and can assist in screening and scheduling of the plasma donor.  It also provides an option for a convalescent person to just donate a small sample of blood for research purposes.