As COVID-related discrimination and xenophobia reach an all-time high, Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHRC) has responded by launching an exciting anti-hate initiative. The “To Know Better” multimedia campaign contest is designed to promote cultural acceptance through the voices of Orange County middle and high schoolers. In partnership with Orange County Public Schools and the Orange County Department of Education, To Know Better is a call to young people to incite some serious change in their schools and beyond.
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Contact Tracing in Orange County |
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Help slow the spread by answering the call for COVID-19 contact tracing. All positive COVID-19 test results are reported to the OC Health Care Agency for contact tracing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The caller ID will say “CA COVID Team.” |
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Questions asked:
- Where you have been recently and who you have been in contact with
- The names and contact information of people you had close contact with
Questions not asked:
- Social Security number
- Immigration status
- Credit card number
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COVID-19 Nearly Seven Times More Prevalent
in Orange County
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Testing a representative sample of Orange County residents for a wide range of coronavirus antibodies, University of California, Irvine researchers found that 11.5% of them have antibodies for COVID-19, in contrast to previous estimates of less than 2%.
Latino and low-income residents had the highest prevalence of SARS-CoV-02 antibodies with rates of 17% and 15%, respectively.
UCI researchers led the actOC project in partnership with the OC Health Care Agency, which provided funding, testing sites and input on the study’s survey methods and scripts.
Study results appear on the pre-print server site medRxiv.
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California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
Updates Visitation Guidance at Facilities
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As of October 23, health facilities located in counties with substantial or lower risk levels of community transmission per CDPH's Blueprint for a Safer Economy should permit any patient to have one visitor present at a time.
In addition, CDPH has developed visitor guidelines for specific patient groups to ensure support for their mental health and well-being, while striving to limit the spread of the virus. The following visitation guidelines continue to be recommended by CDPH for specific populations regardless of the county positivity rate.
Pediatric Patients
- Visitors are essential for the mental health of pediatric patients. CDPH recommends that pediatric patients be allowed one support person.
- In the case of prolonged hospitalization, the facility should permit two designated support persons for pediatric patients, provided that only one visitor is present at a time.
- For NICU and PICU patients, the facility should permit two designated support persons that may visit at the same time.
Labor and Delivery Patients
- The presence of a partner or support person is essential to the mental health of patients who are in labor and delivery. CDPH recommends that one support person be allowed to be present with the patient. In addition to the support person, CDPH recommends that a doula, if desired by the patient, be permitted to be present if prior arrangements have been made with the hospital and the doula complies with hospital PPE and infection control guidelines.
Patients at End of Life
- Visitors are essential to the mental health of patients who are at end of life. For their continued mental health and well-being, CDPH recommends that one visitor be allowed to be present with the patient; a single visitor does not need to be designated, provided that only one visitor is present at a time.
Patients with Physical, Intellectual, and/or Developmental Disabilities and Patients with Cognitive Impairments
- The presence of a support person is essential to patients with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities and patients with cognitive impairments. CDPH recommends that one support person be allowed to be present with the patient.
- For patients, especially with prolonged hospitalization, the patient or family/patient representative may designate two support people, but only one support person may be present at a time.
Students Obtaining Clinical Experience
- CDPH supports efforts to ensure that new nurses and other professionals coming into the health care workforce are able to obtain necessary clinical experience. CDPH encourages students obtaining their clinical experience be permitted to enter the facility if they meet the CDC guidelines for health care workers to maintain the workforce needed during this pandemic.
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Update on In-Person Appointments at Social Security Administration Local Offices |
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On October 22, 2020, the Social Security Administration (SSA) revised the information available on its COVID-19 webpage about who is eligible for an in-person appointment while its local offices generally remain closed to the public due to the pandemic.
For more information regarding appointment availability and to find out if you are eligible for an in-person appointment during the COVID-19 pandemic click here.
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Upcoming Webinar in the Community |
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Orange County Virtual Resource Fair |
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Pediatric Telehealth Strategies During and Post (?) the COVID-19 Pandemic |
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Across the country, health and social service providers have had to find new ways to support children and families in the face of COVID-19. Home visiting services, pediatric well-child visits, prenatal care, and mental health appointments have largely had to transition from in-person appointments to visits virtually — either via phone or video.
Health and social service providers will learn how to best connect with children and their caregivers during a virtual visit to help ensure families receive the health care they need during and after this pandemic, along with developing best practices for strengthening their relationship with patients using telehealth.
The webinar is scheduled to take place on December 3, 2020, from 4-5 p.m. Click here to register.
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CalOptima Regulatory Alerts |
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Due to the rapidly changing situation surrounding COVID-19, CalOptima is posting a roundup of federal/state rules, guidance and news related to COVID-19. It will be updated frequently.
Below are the recent COVID-19 Regulatory Highlights:
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CDPH Names Drafting Guidelines Workgroup to Advise State on COVID-19 Vaccines (posted 10/28/20)
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CDPH News Release: State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts (posted 10/27/20 through 10/26/20)
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CDPH All Facilities Letter (AFL) 20-38.5 supersedes AFL 20-38.4 (posted 10/26/20)
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CDPH News Release: State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts (posted 10/26/20)
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CDPH SNF Conference Call Notification — Weekly COVID-19 Update Call Notes (posted 10/23/20)
Providers and other health care professionals with questions can contact the Provider Relations department by phone at 714-246-8600 or email at [email protected].
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How to Contact CalOptima During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
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CalOptima Customer Service remains ready to respond to member needs. Members can call Customer Service from the safety of their home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have staff who speak their language.
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Medi-Cal toll-free: 1-888-587-8088
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OneCare Connect toll-free: 1-855-705-8823
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OneCare toll-free: 1-877-412-2734
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TTY 711
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PACE: 1-714-468-1100; toll-free: 1-855-785-2584
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PACE TTY: 1-714-468-1063
Our buildings are closed to members but we are continuing to serve our members through our Customer Service phone lines, as we adhere to guidelines to reduce the possibility of transmission.
CalOptima
505 City Parkway West
Orange, CA 92868
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
13300 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
County Community Service Center
Limited community partners are providing services on-site. CalOptima services are being provided remotely to ensure the safety of our members and employees.
15496 Magnolia Street, Suite 111
Westminster, CA 92610
For CalOptima specific updates on COVID-19, please visit our home page at www.caloptima.org.
National information can be found on the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.coronavirus.gov and local information can be found at the Orange County Health Care Agency (OC HCA) website at www.occovid19.ochealthinfo.com.
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