March 19, 2020 @ 5:30 a.m.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
– Fred Rogers
Latest Statistics

 Los Angeles County: 190 cases, 1 death
Orange County: 29 cases, 0 deaths (first evidence of community transition)
California: 598 cases, 13 deaths
U.S. Overall: 7,038 cases, 97 deaths
From Dr. Sherrill Brown,
Medical Director of Infection Prevention

  • Telehealth – This week we began offering telehealth visits for patients with URI symptoms. Televisit guides for clinicians are posted on Town Square.
  • We Are Still Seeing Patients – It is important to let patients know that they should still seek care from AltaMed when needed during this pandemic by calling our Patient Services Center at (888) 499-9303 for urgent or routine care, including our patients with chronic conditions. They will be screened according to our COVID-19 protocols and triaged accordingly.
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) –If you have questions about PPE, please ask your supervisor or refer to our PPE Donning and Doffing Sequence guide on Town Square.
  • Face Masks and Shields – Staff seeing patients with Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), who are not deemed to be a patient under investigation for COVID-19, must wear a surgical facemask and face shield. Please refer to our detailed Respiratory Equipment Extended Use and Reuse CoVID-19 policy on Town Square. This policy points out ways in which we can preserve our PPE through safely cleaning and reusing certain supplies according to strict safety guidelines.
  • Environmental Services Staff – must wear PPE gowns and gloves when terminally cleaning rooms.
  • Dental Visits – Effective 03/17/2020 through 03/30/2020, dental operations will be limited to emergency and emergency follow up patient care. All other dental services will be postponed until further notice.
PACE
Supporting our Participants
  • We have significantly decreased the number of participants coming to our PACE centers, to comply with the State's directives for people over 65 to self-isolate.
  • Only those who are unable to be cared for in the home, and meet certain other criteria, are coming to the Centers.
  • Medical Clinics in the PACE Centers remain open for participants with chronic conditions and critical needs. Those participants will be screened by telephone first, and cases will be processed safely to minimize contact with persons suspected of COVID-19 infection.
  • PACE staff are making phone calls to members to ensure they have adequate levels of medication and care.
  • Staff are also making social phone calls to participants to help them avoid feelings of isolation.
  • Development is working with PACE teams to provide food boxes to deliver to participants experiencing food insecurity.
Facilities
Keeping Work Areas Clean and Sanitized
All of our buildings adhere to strict cleaning and sanitizing protocols developed by our infection control and facilities team to keep patients and employees safe. Isolation rooms are treated with even stricter protocols to "terminally" clean these rooms. You can access those protocols here and on the Infection Control page on Town Square in the Workflows folder.

Some general highlights:
  • Waiting areas are cleaned every two hours (in clinics and corporate offices).
  • Bathrooms and break rooms are cleaned and sanitized following these protocols at least once an hour.
  • Environmental Aides utilize an approved disinfectant to wipe down chairs, countertops, high-touch areas including tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, and signature pads with pen.
  • Soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers are checked and replenished daily or as needed depending on usage.
  • Floors are mopped regularly with a disinfectant approved by Infection Control.

Employees can help by adhering to our hand-hygiene protocols, avoiding touching your face, and wiping down your work surfaces with disinfecting wipes frequently.
Human Resources and Staffing
Personal Leave of Absence Request
Employees that request to take a Personal Leave of Absence, are required to speak to your supervisor first. Personal Leave will be evaluated based on a number of factors, including anticipated business requirements and staff considerations during the proposed period of absence. A Personal Leave of Absence is not guaranteed and supervisors have the discretion to decline a request if the staffing needs are urgent.
Government Relations Update

In the Nation

  • U.S./Canada border has been closed to non-essential traffic.
  • President Trump signs the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide free COVID-19 testing and paid emergency leave for Americans.
  • President Trump invokes war time powers that could boost the manufacturing of medical equipment.

Public Charge
 
The United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the following alert :
  • USCIS encourages all those, including aliens, with symptoms that resemble Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (fever, cough, shortness of breath) to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services. Such treatment or preventive services will not negatively affect any alien as part of a future Public Charge analysis.

In California

Today, Governor Newsom announced $150 million in emergency funding to quickly move homeless people indoors to combat the spread of COVID-19. Includes:
  • $100 million of this funding will go directly to local jurisdiction to boost shelter capacity and increase emergency housing.
  • $50 million will go towards acquiring travel trailers and leasing hotels, motels, and other facilities to provide shelter to the homeless community.
 
Governor Newsom held a press conference yesterday (3/17), to announce:
  • Emergency funds of 13M for telehealth services for Medi-Cal.
  • $500M package for the state’s response to coronavirus.
  • Supporting local government efforts to clean child care facilities.
  • $100M for personal protective equipment and funding for schools.
In Los Angeles
  • Mayor Garcetti announced that LA City will convert 42 of its recreation centers into temporary shelters for homeless Angelenos, providing 6,000 new beds in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Please Note: If you are contacted by the media with questions about the coronavirus outbreak, or for any other reason, please contact: Veronica Orozco , Sr. Manager, Public Relations via email. 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.