December 23, 2020 @ 4:30 p.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.

This morning Olivia Lee, Manager, Legislative and Advocacy Affairs, presented on behalf of Government Affairs.  

You can listen to today's recording here or read today's notes here.
Sherrill Brown, MD
Berenice Constant
Steven Satzger
Questions & 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.

How to Stay Informed
  • Wednesday morning COVID-19 huddles
  • Wednesday afternoon COVID-19 Alerts emailed to all employees
  • COVID-19 resource and policy pages on Town Square
  • altamed.org/coronavirus
  • Periodic emails, as needed

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
Q & A of the Week

Q: Many people who are getting the COVID-19 vaccine experience extreme muscle aches, chills, or soreness and a low grade fever for some. I am certain AltaMed will encourage us all to get vaccinated, and I am glad. However, I want to know what AltaMed is planning to offer for employees who get severe symptoms and can't come into work. Will we get extra PTO? Will clinic employees be vaccinated on different days to prevent a staff shortage if people need to call out?
 
From the COVID-19 Response Team
A: Employees are entitled to the 80 hours of C19PSL time, which can be used for COVID situations, including a reaction. At this time, we do not anticipate creating a separate PTO bank for vaccine reactions. As for vaccinating on different days, this is something we will definitely keep in mind once vaccines become available.
Information on COVID-19 and Vaccines
 
Cases In California
  • COVID-19 cases throughout the state and in both Los Angeles and Orange counties continue to rise. The numbers are staggering, and we continue to reinforce the importance of following stay-at-home orders and all safety guidelines (see below). Click here for more information.
  • Hospitals are at capacity. As of yesterday, the number of hospitalizations due to confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases in California reached a total of 18,961, an increase of 602 from the day prior. The number of ICU patients due to confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases in California reached a total of 3,861, an increase of 105 from the day prior. Click here for more information.

Vaccine Planning
  • AltaMed has several teams working on our processes, preparedness, and communications around the COVID-19 vaccine launch. We will share information with our employees, providers and patients as these are developed. You can visit our website for information—this site is updated regularly.
  • We welcome your questions and input—please submit vaccine questions here as we are in the process of developing employee and patient FAQs.
  • We are also in the process of creating a special COVID-19 vaccination information section on Town Square, where we will house information as it becomes available. 

Distribution
  • AltaMed submitted its requests for the COVID-19 vaccines. We are currently waiting for information as to when and which vaccine will be made available to us.
  • Work groups are planning logistics around the best way to administer vaccinations, including risk categories of all staff.
  • Next week, a mandatory survey will be sent to every employee to help with the prioritization and scheduling process.

Communications
  • During the vaccination administration, please be alert to communications from your clinic administrators, site medical directors, and department managers/leaders as well as emails, memos, newsletters, department huddles and/or Everbridge text messages to your cell phones. Information will also be available on Town Square. Check with your respective department leaders should you have any questions.

COVID-19 Tracker
  • Click here to see where California stands.
Vaccine Survey for Employees and Providers

The AltaMed Institute for Health Equity has developed a COVID-19 Vaccine Survey to help us better understand how to respond to vaccine-related questions. With two COVID-19 vaccines recently approved for Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA, AltaMed is committed to defeating this pandemic.

All providers and staff are requested to complete the optional, five-minute survey. Responses will remain anonymous and data will be reported in aggregate and used to help our COVID-19 containment efforts.

Thank you for helping us advance health equity!
It's Not Too Late To Volunteer
 
Now, more than ever, we appeal to you to demonstrate your commitment to our mission. We recognize that this year is uniquely challenging for all of us, both at work and in our personal lives. We appreciate that your regular work is important, but our top priority during this crisis is guaranteeing access to care. 
 
Non-clinical staff willing to volunteer to help during the COVID-19 surge period, review the FAQ and consult with your manager before you complete this Volunteer Survey. The Talent Management department is available to answer additional questions or concerns. 
Stop the Surge and Stay Safe

  1. 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.
  2. Maintain hand hygiene—Staff should have easy access to hand sanitizer dispensers to clean hands frequently, and should wash hands for 20 seconds at a time.
  3. Practice physical distancing—Stay six feet apart from other individuals whether inside or outside.
  4. Wipe down any work surfaces you touch.
  5. Patient-facing staff, including front office if no plexiglass barrier is used, should wear a face shield or eye covering in addition to a face mask—avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  6. Employees must wear appropriate PPE when on site.
Human Resources Reminders

  • People who will be administering or handling the COVID-19 vaccine have been assigned a training module that must be completed per CDC guidelines. As of today, we have 919 people who have not started; 105 who are in progress; and 375 who have completed the training. 
  • Leaders: Remind your teams to complete the training module as soon as possible.

  • The COVID-19 and Safe Environment training is due on Thursday, December 31 for all employees. To date, 793 have not started; 280 are in progress; and 1,926 are complete. 
  • Leaders: Remind your staff to complete this training by December 31.

  • If you would like to cash out some of your unused PTO in 2021, you must submit your request by Thursday, December 31. The guidelines for the program, including eligibility and payout date, can be found on Town Square. Contact the Benefits Department for questions.
Wishing You and Yours a Healthy Holiday!
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.