July 29, 2020 @ 3:45 p.m.
Every Wednesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Berenice Constant, VP, Government Relations, and Elizabeth Sepetjian, AVP, Talent Management (HR), give an update for clinic and corporate line of business leaders.

Today John Warda , Vice President, Health Services Operations, joined and presented on clinic operations. You can listen to today's recording here . 
Sherrill Brown, MD
Berenice Constant
Liz Sepetjian
Questions & Communications

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

We also encourage you to review communications, such as the Wednesday-only COVID-19 huddles, COVID-19 resource and policy pages on Town Square, our website altamed.org/coronavirus , and any regular emails you receive.

FAQs posted below may not be comprehensive, so please check the FAQs in each weekly alert to be sure your questions have not already been answered.
Q & A of the Week

Q: Can staff who work alone or are not in contact with patients wear fabric masks from home? We have a lot of complaints about boxed masks giving rashes or causing acne.

A: Yes, if you are unable to wear a surgical mask due to irritation, you may wear a cloth mask that has at least two layers and fits snugly. Consider placing a surgical mask inside the cloth mask for added filtration. With that being said, though, cloth masks are not considered personal protective equipment or medical equipment but can be used for source control.
Clinic Huddles

John Warda, Vice President, Health Services Operations, shared an update on ways our clinics are adapting to COVID-19 by changing how we see and treat patients:
  • Telehealth visits continue to increase among our patients
  • AltaMed has welcomed about 5,000 new patients
  • Communications between clinics and leadership is essential for us to remain aligned
  • Senior leadership is invested in learning and hearing what's taking place at the clinics and how we can improve our overall care structure
  • Clinic and team huddles are an important way to share communications with senior leadership
  • Every Tuesday, clinic leaders will ask for input and feedback from their clinic staff and share this vital information with senior leadership the following day

We continue to learn how to improve as an organization to take care of both our employees and patients. Your ongoing input is appreciated and welcome—please speak with your supervisors and clinic leaders or share your suggestions with us— Click here.
Dr. Brown Discusses COVID-19 and Families

We're all familiar with the necessary safety measures we must adhere to at work:
  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.
  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 – 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, 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.

As family members venture out, you may want to consider adopting some of these safety measures at home as well. AltaMed is working with our PACE program to educate participants on safety measures they and their family members can follow while at home.
We’re Here For You, Now More Than Ever
 
We continue to communicate with our employees and patients on how to provide a safe and healthy work environment.

We have developed several signs that are available for placement in clinics and offices on topics, such as elevator spacing, wearing a mask, hand hygiene, and physical distancing.

Your supervisors can order and place these signs in clinics and offices as needed. We appreciate your input and feedback as it helps us develop additional messaging.
AltaMed In the News

Dr. Efrain Talamantes , COO of Health Services, was the featured guest on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's July 24 CNN podcast discussing how the Latino community is disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
 
Click here to listen to the entire podcast. For more of AltaMed in the news, please visit altamed.org/newsroom .
AltaMed and ATT Collaboration Case Study

AltaMed and ATT are part of a case study on how the two worked together to provide highly secure mobile connectivity at an AltaMed COVID-19 testing site. 

AltaMed’s Dr. Ilan Shapiro , Medical Director of Health Education and Wellness, and Raymond Lowe, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, are featured in ATT’s case study—click here to read the complete study. A brief video also describes the collaboration.
Save the Date: Free Citizenship Workshop on August 15

In this time of pandemic, there is much need for funding support for health care programs and services that are vital to the communities we serve. Government Relations is hosting a free Citizenship Workshop on Saturday, August 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. to help employees empower themselves to make a difference and let their voices be heard.

Registration is required – click here to register today. Please share this event information with your colleagues.
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.