Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center is the Site of Largest U.S. Majority Latino Hospitalized COVID-19 Outcome Study

A study with 4,881 patients during of the first 14 months of COVID-19 at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center found obesity was not a major risk factor; multi-infected families did better than expected; and hospital treatment with convalescent plasma, remdesivir, or tocilizumab were tied to improved outcomes

April 3, 2023–Researchers from Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (PVHMC), working closely with other investigators, recently published the results of their multi-year research study with 4,881 patients, the largest of a U.S. community hospital with a majority Latino population, on the outcome risks of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. Latino and lower income populations were among the hardest hit during the pandemic due to their lack of access to health care. The study began in March of 2020 and found that treatment with convalescent plasma, remdesivir, or tocilizumab were tied to improved outcomes. The PVHMC study examining COVID-19 risk factors was published in January 2023 in Open Forum Infectious Disease, a journal of the Infectious Disease Society of America, and Oxford University Press.

“This was the largest U.S. COVID-19 study focused on a community-based hospital with a majority Latino population,” says Daniel Gluckstein, MD, study investigator and former medical director of infectious disease, PVHMC. “The information was gathered and compiled with the help of our researchers and staff during a volatile health crisis that disproportionately affected Latinos in Los Angeles.”

Of the 4,881 patients studied, 441 patients died from COVID-19. PVHMC’s study, like other national studies found mortalities were linked to age at least 65 years, male gender, or pre-existing conditions like heart, kidney, and neurologic disease.

In contrast with most published COVID-19 studies, the PVHMC research found Latino ethnicity, non-White race, diabetes, or obesity were not associated with worse outcomes. Also, study patients with multiple household members infected by COVID-19 did better and recovered quicker. The best treatment results were linked to convalescent plasma, remdesivir, or tocilizumab. Steroids or the drug hydroxychloroquine were not associated with improved outcomes in the study.

The information was gathered through electronic health records retrospectively. Study results showed the hospital provided the appropriate intervention for patients, who mostly were of Hispanic heritage.

“I’m proud of the care PVHMC provided for the patients coming to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment and the research collaboration we developed during this very stressful time,” added Dr. Gluckstein. “We now better understand the healthcare needs of our community and are more prepared to meet their needs now and in the future, should events such as this resurface.”

PVHMC staff who contributed to the study include: Lisa Diaz, RN, MSN, Nurse Manager and Clinical Researcher; Ace Ibarrola, RN, Clinical Nurse IV, Telemetry; and Mamta Desai, MPH, MBA, ICP, Director of Infection Prevention.

To learn more about PVHMC, visit: www.pvhmc.org.