September 29, 2021 @ 5:30 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
Pfizer Vaccine Booster Approved

  • The FDA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster, and the head of the CDC has endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation for a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine in certain populations.
  • People 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series.
  • People aged 50 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series.
  • People aged 18 to 49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.
  • People aged 18 to 64 years, who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of an occupational or institutional setting, may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.

As with all recommendations, AltaMed is working to review and respond appropriately and will share the information once finalized.
Infection Prevention Update; Grand Rounds

Infection Prevention
Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention, emailed detailed information on Monday, September 27 to providers and clinic staff regarding standing orders and updated EUA. Please refer to her emails.

Grand Rounds
Dr. Brown also presented a special COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine Updates, and Q&A Forum during the Tuesday, September 28 Grand Rounds session.

Resources:
Vaccination Updates

Employees
  • Thursday, September 30 is the deadline for staff to comply with the COVID-19 immunization policy and complete or begin their COVID-19 vaccination series. At AltaMed, we are up to 95% of staff who are fully vaccinated. For those still unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, guidance on the separation process will be shared with each employee and their manager on Wednesday, September 29. 

Patients
  • 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
Human Resources Reminders

Harassment Training Due October 2
If you have not already done so, please complete the state required harassment training before its deadline of Saturday, October 2.

LMU StudyLA Survey Due October 5
We are in the second week of the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) StudyLA survey with 22% participation—our goal is to reach 80%. Refer to the email from [email protected] that was sent on Tuesday, September 21. If you have not already completed the survey, please do so before Tuesday, October 5.
Safety Reminders

  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 (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.
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.