BCHD to Vaccinate South Bay Educators at AdventurePlex

March 1, 2021

Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is opening a new vaccination site for educators this week at AdventurePlex (1701 Marine Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA), to be operated in partnership with the Cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach and 11 public school districts.

BCHD has also been working with 4th District Supervisor Janice Hahn and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to get the site up and running. This vaccine site is not open to the public. Currently, it is a closed Point of Distribution (POD) specifically operating to vaccinate employees of area School Districts and select charter schools.

Vaccines have been allocated to the schools by the Department of Public Health and will be provided to the South Bay Consortium for School Vaccines, which includes the following school districts:

Centinela Valley Unified High School District
El Segundo Unified School District
Hawthorne School District
Hermosa Beach City School District
Inglewood Unified School District
Lawndale Elementary School District
Lennox School District
Manhattan Beach Unified School District
Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District
Redondo Beach Unified School District
Wiseburn Unified School District

School districts are scheduling appointments for their staff members based on their criteria and the number of COVID-19 vaccines allotted to each school.

Learn More

Vaccinations Open for Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tier 1

Phase 1A includes frontline healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1B, Tier 1 includes adults 65+ and those at risk of exposure in the following sectors: food and agriculture, education and childcare, and emergency services and first responders. Registration is required and workers will need to show proof of identification and proof of employment in a qualifying sector within Los Angeles County. If you make an appointment through the County, your appointment will not be at BCHD.

Food & Agriculture

Food service workers
Food manufacturing
Grocery store workers
Grocery store workers (without pharmacies)
Animal agriculture workers including those involved in Vet health
Veterinarians
Food and Agriculture-associated Port and transportation workers

Education & Childcare

Teachers (K-12, Preschool)
Support staff (K-12, Preschool)
Childcare
Independent Schools
Junior Colleges
Colleges & Universities

Emergency Services & First Responders

Police/law enforcement officers
Emergency Management, Search and Rescue, Emergency and public safety communication centers, EOCs
National Security
Maritime and Aviation Response (TSA)
Corrections officers and workers
Courts/Legal Counsel & Prosecution
Campus and school police
Rehabilitation and Re-entry
Federal law enforcement agencies
Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers
Security staff to maintain building access control and physical security measures
DCFS, APS (workers physically responding to abuse and neglect of children, elderly and dependent adults)

How to Make an Appointment through the County

Visit the County’s website to check for and to schedule an appointment for vaccination, which fill up very quickly. Appointments are mandatory. Vaccinations are free.

Please be patient if there are no available appointments when you first visit the county's website.

For those without access to a computer or the internet, or with disabilities, a County call center is open daily from 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. to help schedule appointments at 833-540-0473.

FDA issued EUA for the Johnson & Johnson Janssen Vaccine

On February 27, the FDA issued an EUA for the third vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 allowing the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years of age and older. The Janssen vaccine requires a single dose. The most commonly reported side effects were pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue, muscle aches and nausea. Most of these side effects occurred within 1-2 days following vaccination and were mild to moderate in severity and lasted 1-2 days. Learn more here.

Q: What vaccine should I get?

A: Whatever vaccine is available when you get an appointment. All the vaccines provide a level of protection that is not available naturally and we have seen during this pandemic that the results of contracting the virus can be devastating. For vaccinated individuals who contract COVID-19, the vaccines have been found to keep patients from getting seriously ill.

L.A. County Travel Advisory and Guidance

Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 during this pandemic. Please do NOT travel if you are sick.

Non-Essential Travel

Los Angeles County residents should continue to avoid all non-essential travel and stay within 120 miles from their place of residence, unless they are traveling for essential purposes. "Non-essential travel" includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature.
All non-essential travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering the County of Los Angeles and need to self-quarantine.
All persons arriving in or returning to the County of Los Angeles from other states or countries, must self-quarantine for 10 days after arrival, except as necessary to meet urgent critical healthcare staffing needs or to otherwise engage in emergency response. Additionally, this does not apply to individuals who routinely cross state or country borders solely for the purpose of essential travel.

Quarantine Requirements

If you do travel into Los Angeles County from outside of California, you need to self-quarantine for 10 days after you arrive and must limit your interactions to people in your household/people with whom you live. If you travel into Los Angeles County solely for essential work purposes, you need to still self-quarantine outside of your work for 10 days and ensure you do not mix with others outside of those necessary to conduct your essential work.

To read the full Travel Advisory and Guidance, click here.

Latest Health Officer Order

On February 18, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health updated the Health Officer Order to note that per the State Consolidated Framework and Guidance, when the County adjusted daily case rate has been less than 25 per 100,000 population for five consecutive days and the school has met all the state and county requirements for reopening, schools may open for in-person instruction for students in grades TK-6. Schools in California may not reopen for in-person instruction for grades 7-12 if the county is in Tier 1 (Purple, Widespread).

As of 2/28/2021

893

1,213

2,539

View Larger Graph

Need help?

If you or someone you know in the Beach Cities needs help with health-related information and referrals, or errand assistance and meal delivery, please call our Assistance, Information & Referral line at 310-374-3426, ext. 256, seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. or visit us online at bchd.org/resources.

Eat Local: Healthy Meal Delivery

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Enroll Now:

Covered CA

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Health Information & Referrals

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Choose to be Part of the Solution

Take the Safe in the South Bay Individual Pledge

By taking the pledge, you are committing to do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by protecting yourself and others. In addition to infection control best practices to keep you safe from COVID-19, you pledge to also focus on ways to care for your body, mind and community as we navigate the pandemic, and this new normal, together.

Take the Pledge

Join the Healthy Minds Initiative

BCHD, in partnership with Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, is running a study on how proper diet and lifestyle can prevent brain disease. The study has transitioned to a virtual environment in response to COVID-19. Learn more.

March is Sleep Awareness Month

Sleep is a basic requirement for human development, health and well-being, just like nutrition and physical activity. After all, on average, we spend a third of our life sleeping! Learn the recommended amount of sleep per day and find tips for better sleep here.

Apply to be on one of BCHD's Committees

Applicants must be a resident of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach. Deadline to apply is noon on Monday, May 3. Learn more.

Virtual Families Connected Parent Chat

A free parent support group led by a licensed professional from the Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment at Torrance Memorial Medical Center held in partnership with South Bay Families Connected. Open to all parents.

Mondays

10 – 11 a.m.

Learn More

Virtual Happiness Chat

This is a casual discussion group with light-hearted activities to spark conversation. Share ideas, tips, resources, jokes, quotes – anything that supports our happiness!

Tuesday, March 9

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Virtual Hypertension Workshop

Join Dr. Joshua Chou for a virtual workshop to learn all about hypertension. Login info will be shared after you register.

Wednesday, March 10

1 – 1:55 p.m.

Virtual COVID-19 Implications on Brain Health Workshop

Presented by the South Bay Dementia Education Consortium

While COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, it has impacted brain health in many ways due to the isolation and loneliness many have experienced as well as the pathological changes the virus can impose upon the body. Mirella Diaz-Santos, PhD will discuss the way that our lives with COVID-19 has affected brain health as well as dementia diagnosis and treatment.

Wednesday, March 10

5:30 – 7 p.m.

Virtual BCHD Board of Directors Meeting

Wednesday, March 24

6:30 p.m.

Learn More

B-Well Together

The B-Well Together campaign is presented in partnership with BCHD and BeachLife Festival as a program offering mental health tools to increase happiness during COVID-19. The campaign will feature celebrity appearances, social media videos, livestream performances and community engagement.

Thursday, March 25, 6 – 7 p.m.

LIVESTREAM featuring performances by Kevin Sousa and Gavin Heaney

Saturday, March 27, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Live Virtual Mental Health & Happiness Workshop

Learn More

Virtual Families Connected Speaker Series "Social Justice Parenting: Teaching Children to Leverage Privilege for Good" presented by Dr. Mimi Nartey

Dr. Mimi Nartey will deliver strategies to empower parents to discuss social justice topics with their children, set intentions for themselves and their communities toward social justice outcomes, contextualize real and perceived social disadvantages responsibly and to leverage social privilege towards the manifestation of a better world.

Tuesday, April 13

4 – 5:30 p.m.

#LiveWellAtHome with Live Virtual Exercise Classes

Get unlimited access to all Center for Health & Fitness live virtual exercise classes for $32 monthly. Small Group and Personal Training is also available virtually. Learn more.

View Our Exercise Videos

Donate to the Beach Cities COVID-19 Fund

Donations will provide assistance to Beach Cities residents who are income qualified with essentials like groceries, household and cleaning supplies, rent and utility bill assistance and durable medical equipment to help keep them safe at home.

Residents wishing to submit donations by check can mail those to Beach Cities COVID-19 Fund, 1200 Del Amo Street, Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

Donate Now

COVID-19 Testing at BCHD Campus 514 N. Prospect Ave.

Los Angeles County testing sites, including the BCHD site, currently use nasal swab tests. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns healthcare providers and patients that the test made by Curative, an oral swab test, carries a risk of false results, particularly false negative results. The BCHD testing site does not use the oral swab.

Los Angeles County's testing criteria includes:

Those who have COVID-19 symptoms: Fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea
Those who have had a known exposure to COVID-19, including those who were in close contact with someone with COVID-19
Those who live or work in a high-risk setting (such as skilled nursing facilities, group homes, residential care facilities and persons experiencing homelessness)
In accordance with California Department of Health Testing Guidance, testing is also available when there is additional testing capacity if you do not have symptoms and you are an essential worker with frequent contacts with the public in these sectors: health care, emergency services, food and grocery, retail or manufacturing, public transportation, and education. To view a complete list of essential worker groups from the California Department of Public Health, click here.

If you're unsure if you need a test, check with your health care provider. If you don’t have a health care provider, call 211 to get a referral.

If you are unable to receive testing through your provider, please continue to check the site for availability at Los Angeles County sites, or make an appointment at a Los Angeles City, state-operated or community testing site such as CVS by visiting covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. Tests are free of charge and are by appointment only.

Schedule a COVID-19 test

Note: Testing does not prevent people from transmitting and getting the virus and is not a substitute for physical distancing, wearing face coverings over your nose and mouth, hand washing and avoiding crowds.

What to expect after you've been tested for COVID-19

If you are awaiting testing results, you should stay home and act as if you are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 24 hours after fever subsides and symptoms improve. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious. If you are positive for COVID-19 and have not yet connected with a public health specialist or need more information on services, call toll-free at 1-833-540-0473. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

If a person tests negative, they must continue to take every precaution to avoid contracting the virus or spreading the virus to others.

For more information about COVID-19, visit:

Beach Cities Health District

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization

Healthy Living Campus

Environmental Impact Report Process

The refined draft Healthy Living Campus master plan, presented at the June 17, 2020 BCHD Board of Directors meeting, was developed from more than 60 meetings attended by more than 550 residents and drawing more than 1,000 comments during the last three years regarding elements of the campus.

The Board endorsed a project description to continue the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process ⁠— originally started in June 2019 ⁠— with the more compact Healthy Living Campus master plan as the basis of the project description. This blueprint will inform the public and project decision-makers about significant environmental effects and identify possible ways to minimize or avoid those effects.

The Draft Environmental Impact Report is expected to be released March 8, followed by a 90-day public comment period. BCHD will make a formal announcement with a final schedule and how members of the public can make and submit comments about the technical sufficiency of the Draft EIR impact analysis, mitigation measures and alternatives.

The updated, more compact draft master plan includes:

A Community Wellness Pavilion with public meeting spaces, demonstration kitchen, modernized Center for Health & Fitness, aquatics and more.

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a Medicare/Medicaid program that provides comprehensive medical and social services to older adults.

Fewer Units: Residential Care for the Elderly (RCFE) units drop from 420 to 220. Pricing has yet to be determined. One plan being considered will offer 10 percent of units at below market rates.