May 12, 2021 @ 3:00 p.m.
Weekly COVID-19 Briefing
Every Tuesday, 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 the recording here or view this week's meeting notes here.
Sherrill Brown, M.D.
Berenice Constant
Steven Satzger
AltaMed Needs COVID-19 Vaccination Volunteers

AltaMed is hosting multiple COVID-19 vaccination sites in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and we need help. We are seeking individuals to generously donate their time and effort to and volunteer for this humanitarian and public service project.
 
Who is eligible to volunteer?
To serve as a volunteer, you must be 18 years of age or older and a licensed medical professional authorized to administer vaccines in California. This includes physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists. Medical students, nursing students, and pharmacy students will also be considered.
 
For details or to register, visit altamed.org/c19volunteer. Volunteer opportunities will continue throughout the summer. Please share this information with your network of professional colleagues, and help make a difference. 
Vaccination Locations and Schedules

At AltaMed, we continue to encourage our patients and community members to get the COVID-19 vaccine. As of May 10, all Los Angeles and Orange County residents aged 12 or older are eligible. Those between the ages of 12 and 17 are only eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

Appointments
  • AltaMed patients can schedule an appointment through MyAltaMed.net if they already have an existing account.
  • The AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232 is available for patients and community members to call and schedule their appointments.

Current Vaccination Sites
  • AltaMed Medical Group – Huntington Park (once a week, every Monday)
  • AltaMed Medical Group – Pico Rivera, Passons (once a week, every Thursday)
  • AltaMed Medical and Dental Group – Anaheim (Pharmacy only, Thursdays)
  • AltaMed Medical and Dental Group – Huntington Beach (Thursdays and Fridays)
  • AltaMed PACE – Santa Ana (Monday through Friday)
  • AltaMed General Pediatrics at CHLA (Monday through Friday)

AltaMed Pharmacies
  • Most of our pharmacies are providing the vaccine to patients. 

PACE
  • PACE continues to vaccinate participants and their family members.

Orange County
  • We are offering vaccination appointments to AltaMed patients or their family members who live or work in Orange County, as well as community members. Click on the eligibility requirements for more information.

Los Angeles County
  • We are providing vaccinations to patients, their family members, and community members. Appointments can be made by calling the AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232. Click on the eligibility requirements for more information.
Employee Vaccinations

Employee Health is offering Dose 1 of the vaccine every other week.

Appointments 

  • You will receive a reminder before your appointment. Remember to:
  • Work with your supervisor to ensure your availability.
  • Wear short sleeves.
  • Do not carpool with your colleagues. 
  • For Dose 2, bring your vaccination card with you.

Complete Your Declination
  • If you are waiting to get the vaccine for any reason, please fill out the COVID-19 declination form.
  • You may change your mind at any time and sign up to get vaccinated.

Submit Your Proof
  • If you received the vaccine outside of AltaMed, email a copy of your vaccination card to Employee Health for documentation purposes only.
Grand Rounds Update

Every other Tuesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director of Infection Prevention, presents at a special COVID-19 Grand Rounds session. The session presented on May 11 was COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine Updates and Q&A Forum.
 
Topics Discussed:
  • J&J/Janssen Vaccine Reinstated
  • We are on MyTurn now
  • Updates on state of vaccination
  • Updates on who is eligible
  • How to schedule people for the vaccine
  • Tips on messaging
 
Resources:
 
Video Presentation Timestamps
  • Introduction: 0:00 – 2:07
  • Presentation: 2:08 – 36:05
 
You can always access materials and recordings from past sessions on the AltaMed Grand Rounds page on Town Square.
Safety Guidelines Continue

  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.
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.

FAQs
  • Click here to read the most recent FAQs (answers to new questions are pending)
  • Refer to the weekly FAQs in earlier editions of the COVID-19 Alert to see if your questions have already been answered.

Town Square
  • Go to the COVID-19 Vaccine news blocks on Town Square for current information and helpful resources.

How to Stay Informed
In the News

On Thursday, May 6, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention, took part in the NBC4 Community Forum on "Planning Your Vaccine" with news anchor Colleen Williams to discuss COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy and answer questions. Click here to watch.

On Tuesday, May 11, Dr. Ilan Shapiro, Medical Director, Health Education and Wellness, made an appearance on NBC's TODAY to discuss the relevance of Pfizer approving its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15. Click here to watch.
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.