January 12, 2022 @ 4:45 p.m.
Weekly COVID-19 Briefing
Every Tuesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention; Olivia Lee, Manager, Legislative and Advocacy Affairs; and Diego Fuentes, Manager, Benefits and Leave of Absence, update our clinic and corporate lines of business leaders.

We apologize, but the notes and the recording are not available at this time.
Sherrill Brown, M.D.
Olivia Lee
Diego Fuentes
COVID-19 Numbers Continue to Rise

As shared in last week's COVID-19 Alert, AltaMed continues to adjust our processes so we can meet the health care needs of our patients, while ensuring the safety of our employees. Please see below—we ask that you follow the guidelines currently in place:

Meetings and Gatherings at Work
  • In-person meetings or gatherings (employees, patients, community, etc.) should not be held at AltaMed at this time. Please reconsider holding in-person meetings or any gatherings as we must continue with our worksite safety guidelines, including physical distancing, regular hand-hygiene, and mask-wearing at all times.
  • Click here for related information.

Double-up On Your Masking
  • AltaMed requires that anyone at our facilities, including staff, wear a mask at all times for source control to protect yourself and those around you. We recommend increasing the protection of masking with either double-masking with two, well-fitted surgical masks, a single KN95 mask, or a fitted N95 mask. Dispose of your mask when it is damaged, dirty, difficult to breathe through, or at the end of your shift. 
Booster Mandate for Health Care Workers

Please refer to the memo sent on Thursday, January 6 by Veronica Gomez, Vice President of Human Resources, regarding AltaMed's adherence to the new state mandate on boosters for health care workers.

Employee Health is currently working to provide boosters to AltaMed employees by the Tuesday, February 1 deadline. Additional information will be shared soon.

For now, AltaMed employees can make an appointment to receive their booster (directions below). If you receive your booster outside of AltaMed, please send Employee Health proof of your booster (directions below). After you receive your booster, click here.

How to Schedule Your Booster (Appointment Required)
  1. Email Employee Health.
  2. Call Employee Health at (323) 765-6153.
  3. Contact the Employee Health lead at your respective clinic.

If You Receive the Booster Outside of AltaMed

Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines
Grand Rounds Information

Sherrill Brown, M.D., presented at a special Grand Rounds on COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine Updates, and Q&A Forum on Tuesday, January 11. The next COVID-19 Grand Rounds will be on Tuesday, January 18. Look for the calendar invitation.
 
Topics Discussed:
  • COVID-19 and Omicron Data Updates
  • Clinical Updates
  • Change in Isolation/Quarantine
  • Treatment with Paxlovid and Antivirals
  • At-Home Testing
  • Questions

Resources:
COVID-19 PCR Testing Information

Testing Service for AltaMed Patients
This past Monday, MD Labs began providing free COVID-19 PCR testing to AltaMed patients at AltaMed Medical and Dental Group - Anaheim and AltaMed Medical and Dental Group - South Gate. The pop-up testing sites are open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Appointments are not required and results will take 24 to 48 hours. Please direct AltaMed patients seeking primary diagnosis of COVID-19 to these sites. They will need to provide an ID, and if they have insurance, they will need to provide that information as well. An email address is also required so the results can be sent to them. 

Testing Kits
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is launching a new program called “Pick-Up Testing Kit,” which is designed to increase and facilitate access to COVID-19 tests for Los Angeles County residents unable to obtain appointments. The program will allow residents to pick up a PCR test kit, perform the test, and return the completed kit to designated locations for processing. Residents will be notified of their test results within 24 to 48 hours.
While at Work, 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 their 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. 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.
  6. Employees must wear appropriate PPE when on site. 
Free Support and Resources Offered by CalHOPE

In partnership with CalHOPE, Health Education and Wellness is offering free crisis counseling and other support services to patients, employees, and community members affected by COVID-19. Informational cards have been distributed to all clinics and PACE centers.

For questions about this initiative or to request more cards, contact Michelle Madrid, Manager, Health Education and Wellness.
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.

How to Stay Informed

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

Sherrill Brown, M.D., Medical Director of Infection Prevention, was interviewed on Friday, January 7 by KCAL 9 about hospitals experiencing a backlog amid rising COVID-19 numbers.

Ilan Shapiro, M.D., Medical Director of Health Education and Wellness, continues to provide valuable information as part of his Vital Conversations with Dr. Ilan Shapiro (in Spanish) every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. on Facebook Live. Please share this information with patients and the community.
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.