April 28, 2021 @ 5:45 p.m.
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Every Tuesday, 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.
Olivia Lee, Manager, Legislative and Advocacy Affairs, presented on behalf of Government Affairs.
You can listen to the recording here.
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AltaMed Needs COVID-19 Vaccine Volunteers
AltaMed is hosting multiple COVID-19 vaccination sites in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and we need help. We are seeking individuals to generously donate their time and effort and volunteer with this humanitarian and public service project.
Who is eligible to volunteer?
To serve as a volunteer, you must be 18 years of age or older and be a licensed medical professional authorized to administer vaccines in California. This includes physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists. Medical students, nursing students, and pharmacy students will also be considered.
For details or to register, visit altamed.org/c19volunteer. Volunteer opportunities will continue throughout the summer. Please share this information with your network of professional colleagues, and help make a difference.
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AltaMed Vaccination Locations and Schedules
Appointments
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AltaMed patients can schedule an appointment through MyAltaMed.net if they already have an existing account.
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The AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232 is available for patients and the community to call and schedule their appointments.
Current Vaccination Sites
- 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, more than 80% of participants have been vaccinated.
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.
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Employee Vaccinations
Employee Health is offering Dose 1 of the vaccine every other week. 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.
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.
Complete Your Declination
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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.
Submit Your Proof
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If you received the vaccine outside of AltaMed, email a copy of your vaccination card to Employee Health for documentation purposes only.
CDC Vaccination Cards
Employees who were issued an AltaMed-branded vaccination card can replace their cards for the CDC vaccination card:
- Come to Employee Health (2035 Camfield Ave.) on Thursdays between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to exchange the card in person.
- Interoffice the AltaMed vaccination card to Employee Health. A replacement CDC vaccination card will be sent back to you via interoffice mail.
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Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Update
As of April 25
- The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine resume in the United States after a temporary pause.
- Reports of adverse events following the use of J&J/Janssen vaccine suggest an increased risk of a rare adverse event called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). Nearly all reports of this serious condition, which involves blood clots with low platelets, have been in adult women younger than 50 years old.
- A review of all available data at this time shows that the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine’s known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks.
- However, women younger than 50 years old especially should be aware of the rare but increased risk of this adverse event and that there are other COVID-19 vaccine options available for which this risk has not been seen.
- The CDC and FDA will continue to monitor the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines.
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Click here to read more.
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Grand Rounds Presentation
Every other Tuesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director of Infection Prevention, presents at a special COVID-19 Grand Rounds session. The April 27 topic was Treating Long COVID: Clinician Experience with Post-Acute COVID-19 Care.
Key Learning Objectives:
- Identify signs and symptoms of long COVID which occur after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Identify potential multidisciplinary teams for patient care.
- Describe common challenges to post-acute COVID-19 care.
- Describe examples of patient-centered, interdisciplinary post-acute COVID-19 care.
Resources:
Video Presentation Timestamps
- Announcements: 0:00 – 6:10
- Presentation: 6:10 – 24:20
- Q&A Session: 24:21 – 32:03
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Employees to Receive Health Care Hero Pin
AltaMed employees will be receiving a commemorative pin in recognition of their dedication and commitment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, the pins will be mailed to employees’ homes for those who have worked since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and through its one-year mark.
The Health Care Hero pin, with its three distinct purple, teal, and silver hearts, represents our commitment, giving freely of ourselves, and putting the needs of others first during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please wear this pin as an acknowledgment and appreciation of your tireless effort.
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Daily Employee Screening Process
Each day before entering your work site, you are required to complete the Qualtrics screening process. You must enter your unique Employee ID Number, which then verifies your identity. Then select Yes only for your name; select No if another employee's name appears. It is important that you enter the correct information and check for accuracy.
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WHO Celebrates World Immunization Week
World Immunization Week is celebrated every year during the last week of April to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. This year's theme, "Vaccines bring us closer," urges greater global engagement to promote the importance of vaccination in bringing people together and improving the health and well-being of everyone. To learn more, please click here.
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Safety Guidelines Continue
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Wear your masks—Face 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.
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Maintain hand hygiene—Staff should have easy access to hand sanitizer dispensers to clean hands frequently, and should wash their hands for 20 seconds at a time.
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Practice physical distancing—Stay six feet apart from other individuals whether inside or outside.
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Wipe down any work surfaces you touch.
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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 administrative and clinical settings—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.
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Employees must wear appropriate PPE when on site.
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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
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Click here to read the weekly FAQs (answers to new questions are pending)
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Refer to the weekly FAQs in earlier editions of the COVID-19 Alert to see if your questions have already been answered.
Town Square
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Go to the COVID-19 Vaccine news blocks on Town Square for current information and helpful resources.
How to Stay Informed
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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.
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