The monoclonal antibody drug used to treat COVID-19 is called bamlanivimab, but even the people who administer it call it “bam.”
 
“We can take credit for starting that name,” said Great Plains Health CEO Mel McNea.
 
Since Nov. 24, GPH has been part of a pilot program in the state. The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly provided Nebraska with 1,000 doses of the laboratory-produced antibody that blocks the novel coronavirus from attaching and entering human cells.. Nebraska Medical Center sorted out the logistics of what went where and to whom, said Heather Jensen, RN outreach coordinator with GPH.
 
Great Plains Health can also take the distinction of being among the first in Nebraska to administer the medication to COVID-19 patients: They got their allocation “at least a week” before Nebraska Medical Center, according to GPH Pharmacy Director Jason North, and within three hours, “the bam team” — a group of six nurses from different backgrounds — was at local nursing homes to administer it.
 
The bam team has administered the medication in 17 west central Nebraska counties as well as communities including Norfolk, Columbus and Kearney, McNea said, adding that “it’s had a very positive outcome in decreasing admissions to hospitals statewide.”
 
Of 74 North Platte patients who received the medication, only one was hospitalized, according to North.
 
“What does that mean for our community? That means that we have open hospital beds to treat patients who have strokes, heart attacks, surgeries, other diseases,” North said. “It’s really helped prevent not only the admission to the hospital but also the severity, the length of time that they have to be on a ventilator or whether or not they use oxygen. If they do (need a ventilator), it’s at a much lower rate than they would if they weren’t on the drug.”
 
Azria Health confirmed that of the North Platte patients, 34 were from Centennial Park and none required hospitalization.
 
Watching innovation at work
The whole medical field has experienced rapid changes throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and nowhere has been untouched by that.
 
“There’s no other time in history that medicine has changed as quickly as it has in the preceding 12 months. To be able to be a part of that in western Nebraska, where (people often say) ‘Oh, those are the hicks,’” Jensen said, “but we are leading the state in administration of this drug. There are other states that are looking to us to help develop a program to get their patients treated and get out ahead of the pandemic. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be a part of that.”
 
GPH had an advantage over larger hospitals in eastern Nebraska. Continue reading..