April 21, 2021 @ 5:30 p.m.
Today's Weekly COVID-19 Briefing
(Recorded at 7:45 a.m.)
Every Wednesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention; Berenice Constant, Vice President, Government Affairs and Civic Engagement; and Steven Satzger, Director, Learning and Training, update our clinic and corporate line of business leaders.

You can read today's notes here.

Beginning Tuesday, April 27, the weekly COVID-19 huddles will be held on Tuesday mornings instead of Wednesday. The COVID-19 Alert will be emailed to all employees on Wednesday.
Sherrill Brown, M.D.
Berenice Constant
Steven Satzger
Employee Vaccination Changes

As nearly 80% of our staff is vaccinated, Employee Health will start offering Dose 1 of the vaccine every other week. Therefore, on Thursday, May 6, we will not offer appointments for Dose 1; we will be vaccinating everyone due for Dose 2 that week. Appointments for Dose 1 will resume on Thursday, May 13 as noted in the link below.

Appointments 

  • You will receive a reminder before your appointment. Remember to:
  • Work with your supervisor to ensure your availability.
  • Wear short sleeves.
  • Do not carpool with your colleagues. 
  • For Dose 2, bring your vaccination card with you.

Submit Your Proof
  • If you received the vaccine outside of AltaMed, email a copy of your vaccination card to Employee Health for documentation purposes only.

Complete Your Declination
  • If you are waiting to get the vaccine for any reason, please fill out the COVID-19 declination form.
  • You may change your mind at any time and sign up to get vaccinated.

Earn 500 Vitality Points
  • AltaMed employees can earn 500 Vitality points for submitting proof of having received the COVID-19 vaccine. Visit the Vitality site on Town Square, log in, and go to the Points Planner, then select the COVID Awareness and Prevention option. Follow the directions and earn your Vitality points. 
AltaMed Vaccination Locations and Schedules

Appointments Through MyAltaMed.net
  • AltaMed patients can schedule an appointment through MyAltaMed.net if they already have an existing account.

Current Vaccination Sites
  • AltaMed Medical Group – Huntington Park (Saturday, April 24)
  • AltaMed Medical Group – South Gate (Saturday, May 1)
  • AltaMed Medical and Dental Group – West Covina (Saturday, May 8)
  • AltaMed Medical Group – Huntington Park (once a week, every Monday)
  • AltaMed Medical Group – Pico Rivera, Passons (once a week, every Thursday)
  • AltaMed Medical and Dental Group – Anaheim (Pharmacy only, Thursdays)
  • AltaMed Medical and Dental Group – Huntington Beach (Thursdays and Fridays)
  • AltaMed PACE – Santa Ana (Monday through Friday)

AltaMed Pharmacies
  • Most of our pharmacies are providing the vaccine to our patients who can call the AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232 to schedule their appointment. 

PACE
  • PACE continues to vaccinate its eligible participants. Currently, 80% of participants have been vaccinated.
General Vaccine Information

CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker

Federal
  • According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, a decision about whether to resume Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine should come this Friday, when an expert panel advising the CDC meets. Read more here.
  • According to President Biden, everyone 16 years and older is now able to be vaccinated in the United States. Click here for information.

State
  • Last Thursday, Governor Newsom said that he fully expects all schools to reopen in the fall as a result of the decrease in COVID-19 case rates and the increase in vaccinations. Click here for additional information.

Orange County
  • We are offering vaccination appointments to AltaMed patients or their family members who live or work in Orange County as well as the community. Click on the eligibility requirements.

Los Angeles County
  • We have a limited supply of vaccines and are prioritizing appointments for eligible AltaMed patients. If patients meet the eligibility requirements, clinics can make appointments for their patients or they can direct patients to call the AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232 to make an appointment. 
Pins Available to COVID-19 Vaccinated Employees and Patients
 
During the week of April 7, COVID-19 Vaccinated pins were sent to clinic and pharmacy vaccination sites for employee and patient distribution.

Non-vaccination clinics and departments were also sent the pins via interoffice mail the week of April 7. Click here for a list of clinics and departments that were sent the pins.

Please check the mailroom or your mailbox for the pins.
Emergency Broadband Benefit Resource
 
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit can connect eligible households to jobs, critical health care services, and virtual classrooms. The program has been authorized by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), but the start date has not yet been established. The FCC is working to make the benefit available as quickly as possible. View the FCC’s website regularly for the latest information and eligibility. Download the fact sheet to learn more.
Safety Guidelines Continue

  1. Wear your masksFace masks are to be worn at all times over your nose and mouth (except when drinking or eating), and should be stored properly or discarded. Patients need to wear masks at all times in examination rooms as well.
  2. Maintain hand hygieneStaff should have easy access to hand sanitizer dispensers to clean hands frequently, and should wash their hands for 20 seconds at a time.
  3. Practice physical distancingStay six feet apart from other individuals whether inside or outside.
  4. Wipe down any work surfaces you touch.
  5. If employees need to be within six feet of someone for a prolonged period of time, wear a face shield and face mask in both an administrative and clinical setting—avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. In addition, a face shield and face mask need to be worn at all times when interacting with patients.
  6. Employees must wear appropriate PPE when on site.
AltaMed Vaccination Effort—Thank You to All
Questions and Communications

We welcome your questions, suggestions, and input. We do review each question and respond appropriately, so please continue to email us—click here. Know that this is a safe space and most questions will be answered individually prior to being shared anonymously with staff.

FAQs
  • Click here to read the weekly FAQs. 
  • Refer to the weekly FAQs in earlier editions of the COVID-19 Alert to see if your questions have already been answered.

Town Square
  • Go to the COVID-19 Vaccine news blocks on Town Square for current information and helpful resources.

How to Stay Informed
Please Note: If you are contacted by the media with questions about the coronavirus outbreak or for any other reason, please email Veronica Orozco, Sr. Manager, Public Relations. The Public Relations team monitors all media coverage of AltaMed (social and traditional platforms) to uphold our reputation. If you have questions and concerns regarding media coverage, please call Veronica at (323) 482-3073. If you'd like to read news releases from AltaMed, visit our external website, AltaMed.org under Newsroom.