October 13, 2021 @ 5:00 p.m.
Every Tuesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention; Berenice Constant, Vice President, Government Affairs and Civic Engagement; and Ana Lechon, Senior Manager, Human Resources, update our clinic and corporate line of business leaders.

Olivia Lee, Manager, Legislative and Advocacy Affairs, presented on behalf of Government Affairs.  

You can listen to the recording here or read the notes here.
Sherrill Brown, M.D.
Berenice Constant
Ana Lechon
AltaMed Employees May Receive Pfizer Booster Shot

As we shared with you last month, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for certain populations, including those who are at increased risk for exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional setting, such as health care workers.

Therefore, any AltaMed employee who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine series at least six months ago, may receive a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine. To schedule your Pfizer booster vaccine, contact Employee Health or the Employee Health lead at your respective clinic or site. As a reminder, neither the Moderna nor the Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved as a booster at this time. For questions, contact Employee Health.
Grand Rounds

Sherrill Brown, M.D., Medical Director of Infection Prevention, presented a COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine Updates, and Q&A Forum during the Tuesday, October 12 Grand Rounds session. 

Topics Discussed:
  • URI, COVID Testing, and COVID Vaccine Data
  • Do COVID Vaccines Cause More People to Die than COVID?
  • Flu Vaccines So Far
  • Further Clarifications on Boosters vs. Third Dose
  • Update on Monoclonal Antibody
  • Upcoming in October
  • Questions
 
Resources:
 
Video Presentation Timestamps
  • Presentation: 0:00 – 19:50
  • Q&A Session: 19:51 – 38:22
Encourage Patients to Get the Flu Vaccine

Flu season typically runs from October through March/April. At AltaMed, our goal is to get as many patients and staff vaccinated through October, so we can be protected during the coming winter months. Please remind and encourage your patients to get the flu shot.

Below are some misconceptions to consider and share with patients:

Will a flu vaccine protect me against COVID-19?
Getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, however a flu vaccination has many other important benefits. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death. Getting a flu vaccine this fall will be more important than ever, not only to reduce your risk from flu, but also to help conserve potentially scarce health care resources.

If I get sick with flu, am I at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19?
Because COVID-19 is still a relatively new illness, there is little data on how flu illness affects the risk of getting COVID-19. In general, getting sick with one virus, like flu, doesn’t affect being infected with another, like the virus that causes COVID-19. We do know that people can be infected with flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 at the same time. Getting a flu vaccine can reduce your risk of getting flu.
COVID-19 Vaccinations and Pregnancy
 
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health continues to urge expecting and new moms to get vaccinated. Click here to read more.
 
According to the agency, as of October 5, there were more than 13,000 pregnant women in Los Angeles who tested positive so far for COVID-19:
  • 76% were Latina/Latinx
  • 11% were White
  • 5% were African American/Black
  • 5% were Asian
 
Because pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women, Public Health continues to urge COVID-19 vaccination to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.
 
The CDC and pregnancy experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives recommend that pregnant and lactating women be vaccinated against COVID-19. Studies have affirmed the vaccines’ safety in all stages of pregnancy and the vaccines do not cause any fertility problems.
 
Please continue to speak with your patients and encourage them to get the vaccine. You can find more information below:
 
Scheduling Appointments
  • How AltaMed patients can make an appointment:
  • MyAltaMed.net if they already have an existing account
  • AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232

  • Non-AltaMed patients and community members can make an appointment:
  • AltaMed Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232
  • MyTurn
CalHOPE Support and Resources
 
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 or to request more cards, contact Michelle Madrid, Manager, Health Education and Wellness.  
How to 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.
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

Congratulations to our very own Ilan Shapiro, M.D., Medical Director of Health Education and Wellness, who was selected by the Los Angeles Times en Español as one of their 11 Heroes of the Pandemic. The recipients of this honor were selected for their selfless effort in sharing vital information about COVID-19 to help many in our communities.

Click here for the full article and video ceremony that took place on Saturday, October 9.
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.