Medical Center Infusion Services Selected by RSV Prevention Center
Memphis, TN (PRWEB) September 27, 2013 -- Medical Center Infusion Services, an affiliate of West Tennessee Healthcare, has been selected as the preferred pharmacy to provide palivizumab (Synagis®) to the RSV Prevention Center at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn.
The RSV Prevention Center was established to provide a two-fold approach to improve the prevention of RSV in high-risk children in our region. The center allows healthcare providers to refer high-risk children for palivizumab (Synagis®) injections while allowing the practitioner to continue to care medically for their patient.
Most importantly, the center was established to track high-risk infants from the Memphis/Shelby County community to ensure that they are not missed for prophylaxis treatment. The center provides year-round tracking and identifying of these infants upon discharge from the regions NICUs.
The center’s founder, Dr. John DeVincenzo, is a professor of pediatrics and professor of molecular sciences, microbiology, immunology and biochemistry at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine. His research has focused on understanding the pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus directly in children and using this understanding to develop therapeutic and prevention strategies against this virus. He is the author of more than 140 original published abstracts and papers on this subject.
“This is a huge honor for our pharmacy to be selected over national competitors to partner with the RSV Prevention Center," states Gary Abbott, Pharm D., MCIS pharmacy manager. “This partnership speaks to our dedication to patient compliance and our commitment to serving the most fragile of our patients.”
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can infect the lungs and breathing passages, as well as the mouth, nose and throat. In adults, RSV usually manifests itself as a cold, but it can cause severe lung disease in infants. Premature infants, children under age two with chronic lung or heart conditions, and children with weakened immune systems are most at risk for developing a severe disease from RSV.
RSV season typically begins mid-October until April with infants receiving injections each month during the season. For more information on RSV, parents may visit http://www.rsvprotection.com and healthcare providers may visit http://www.stoprsv.com for referral information.
Summer Paris, Younger Associates, http://www.younger-associates.com, +1 (731) 668-7367, [email protected]
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