Albany Med is among the first hospitals in the country to obtain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to use convalescent blood plasma therapy to experimentally treat critically ill patients who are infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Convalescent plasma therapy—or plasma from a survivor of an infectious disease—was the same treatment used during the 1918 flu pandemic.

When fighting illness, the body produces antibodies—proteins that counteract a pathogen. Antibodies remain in plasma for weeks or months after recovery. The antibodies in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 attack the virus and can potentially be useful as a treatment for the virus, Albany Med officials said.

Albany Med’s first plasma donation was collected from an employee who has fully recovered from COVID-19, officials said. It has been administered to a critically ill patient at Albany Med admitted with COVID-19.

Stewart’s Shops, which has a longstanding history of giving back to nonprofits in local communities, has started a fund to help.

“During these difficult times, the need is even more prevalent” to help nonprofits, a company news release said. “The coronavirus virus has impacted different groups in different ways.

Stewart’s is encouraging nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 to reach out for additional help for sustainability. Grants will be given on a case by case scenario as they come in. There is no deadline for submission.

As of April 30, the company reported nearly $200,000 in grants had been awarded.

With an increased demand on services, many nonprofits are experiencing strains on budget, staffing and resources. “Whether you are a food pantry feeding families in need or a concert venue/theater uncertain about the future with ticket sales on hold for an indefinite time; there is no doubt that these current circumstances are difficult for everyone,” the company said.

If anything good comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth will fall into that category, Hudson Headwaters Health Network Chief Medical Informatics Officer Dr. Kevin Gallagher said.

“I think this is an exciting time in health care and a really great opportunity for us to redesign our care delivery,” he said in an interview about the organization’s telehealth program, which expanded rapidly to accommodate COVID-19 concerns and social distancing guidelines.

“I think we’re just at the tip of the iceberg with how we can get creative with this.”

Hudson Headwaters Community Relations Manager Jane Hooper said the network was planning to introduce telehealth this year over a number of months, but the pandemic dramatically upped that timeline.

Gallagher joined Hudson Headwaters March 2, and just days later telehealth became the main focus of his work as the organization had to start addressing how to minimize COVID-19 exposure for patients and providers.