February 17, 2021 @ 5:30 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.

You can listen to today's recording here or read the notes here.
Sherrill Brown, M.D.
Berenice Constant
Steven Satzger
Questions and Communications

During the COVID-19 vaccination administration period, we will email updates to employees as more information becomes available. Please be alert to communications from your center managers, clinic administrators, site medical directors, department managers/leaders, and Employee Health, including emails, memos, newsletters, department huddles and/or cell phone text messages.

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.
Commonly Asked Questions and Answers
 
We continue to receive duplicate questions or questions that have already been answered. Please refer to the FAQs in the previous COVID Alerts here.

Q: Is it recommended that an employee who got COVID in the last three months get the vaccine?

A: We recommend that anyone who has had COVID-19 still get the vaccine. They just need to be out of their isolation or quarantine period.

Note: Please see the CDC website for additional information.
Patient Vaccinations Now Available in Los Angeles County

As we continue to receive vaccines for our patients (currently aged 65 and older), please inform and encourage them to call the AltaMed Vaccine Hotline (888) 909-5232 for an update on the vaccine process or to schedule an appointment. We can also answer their transportation questions.

Orange County
  • AltaMed continues to provide the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to patients aged 65 and older who live in Orange County. Please continue to encourage your patients to learn more and get the vaccine.

Los Angeles County
  • We received a limited supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and will begin to administer them to AltaMed patients aged 65 and older at two locations:
  • AltaMed Medical Group - Pico Rivera, Passons on Thursday, February 18 (then once a week, every Thursday)
  • AltaMed Medical Group - Huntington Park on Monday, February 22 (then once a week, every Monday)

  • As more vaccines become available, we will offer additional appointments.

Federal and State Vaccination Super Site Now Open
  • California State University, Los Angeles has been designated a community vaccination site. Appointments can be made by visiting MyTurn.ca.gov or by calling (833) 422-4255.

COVID-19 Tracker
  • Click here to see where California stands.
Employee Vaccinations

New Dose 1 Vaccination Appointments
  • Last Friday, a memo was sent on behalf of Dr. Sherrill Brown to all employees with information about scheduling a first dose vaccine appointment.
  • We will provide the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, February 19 at AltaMed University (AMU), located at 2035 Camfield Ave.
  • To schedule an appointment, click here. For questions or assistance, contact Sabrina Kosok.
  • This event is only for employees who need the first dose of the vaccine. Prior to your appointment, you will receive an email reminder. For your appointment:
  • Work with your supervisor to ensure your availability.
  • Wear short sleeves.
  • Do not carpool with your colleagues. 

Declining the Vaccine
  • If you decline the COVID-19 vaccine from AltaMed, submit a declination form. Your answers are confidential and only viewed by Employee Health.
 
Send Proof to Employee Health
  • If you receive the vaccine outside of AltaMed, email a copy of the CDC vaccination card to Employee Health for documentation purposes only.

#OneShotAtATime
  • Share your vaccination experience on social media, and tag us in posts and stories so we can share them, too. Refer to the Employee Social Media Guide which provides detailed instructions on how you can share your story.
Safety Never Stops

  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.
AltaMed in the News

Dr. Marco Angulo, Medical Director of Medical Education, was part of a front page story in the Monday, February 15 issue of The Orange County Register discussing vaccine equity in Orange County. Dr. Angulo explained AltaMed's multi-tiered outreach effort, which includes text messages, robo-calls, and personal calls, to reach older patients to offer them the vaccine and provide information as well as answer any questions.
Every Thursday at 12:00 p.m., Dr. Ilan Shapiro, Medical Director of Health Education and Wellness, shares helpful and relevant information in Spanish as part of the Conversaciones Vitales: Nuestra Comunidad y el Covid 19 series via Facebook. Join the conversation and share with others. 

Follow AltaMed on social media and share our stories with your network of friends, family and colleagues—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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.