COVID-19 Update – April 9, 2020
PPE County Request Forms and Updated Healthcare Provider Reporting Requirements

As of April 8, there are 674 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alameda County and 16 deaths (including City of Berkeley information). As of April 9, there are 484 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County and 8 deaths. Please check  www.accma.org/COVID-19  for the latest updates.    
PPE and Supplies - County Request Forms

The following is information about placing orders for PPE and other medical support through County resource allocation processes:


  • Contra Costa County: All Resource Requests should be submitted using the attached “CCCHS Request Form”. If requesting PPE, must also complete attached “Medical/Health Items Provider Questionnaire" (found on the first page of the CCCHS Request Form). These forms should be submitted directly to the CCHS DOC Logistics Section at [email protected]. Per CCHS, you should first work within your vendors and systems first before sending requests to the DOC.
Alameda County New COVID-19 Healthcare Provider Reporting Requirements
  
Although the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) continues to conduct individual COVID-19 case and contact investigations, public health resources are being prioritized towards investigations in settings (e.g., long-term care facilities) or among persons (e.g., healthcare providers or first responders) where there is concern for ongoing transmission.
To ensure that ACPHD prioritizes resources for public health investigations, effective April 8, 2020 ACPHD has modified the County’s COVID-19 reporting requirements for healthcare providers as summarized in the Health Advisory and available on the ACPHD Health Alerts webpage .
CMA Releases Financial Impact Survey

CMA has released a survey requesting input on the financial impact COVID-19 has had on physician practices. If you have not already completed the survey, please take a minute to submit your response no later than April 15, 2020.
CMA and AMA Federation Urge Immediate Action to Provide Financial Relief to Physician Practices

On April 7, the American Medical Association (AMA) Federation, which represents hundreds of thousands of physicians, sent a letter to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Alex Azar, asking that he take immediate action to provide financial relief to physician practices to ensure a sufficient physician workforce is available in this country now and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

To provide relief to physician practices who are suffering financial loss due to COVID-19, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act created a $100 billion Public Health and Social Services Emergency fund. This fund is intended to provide financial assistance to Medicare and Medicaid-enrolled physician practices, hospitals and other providers negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMA Federation is urging Secretary Azar to directly and immediately distribute funding to financially strapped practices according to a fair distribution formula developed by the AMA Federation. Specifically, the federation letter calls on Secretary Azar to automatically distribute a lump sum payment to physicians without them having to apply for the funding.

For more information about financial relief options currently available to physicians, visit www.ACCMA.org/COVID-19 .
Tips for Physicians to Protect Themselves and Their Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic
 
Click here for tips on what to do before going to work, at work, and after work/coming home to protect yourself and your family. Tips include how to create a hot zone (contaminated area) near your home entrance and how to take care of your skin. Courtesy of the TPMG Diablo Health and Wellness Team.  
Complimentary Peer Discussion Groups
 
RechargedMD  is offering ACCMA members  complimentary online peer discussion and coaching specifically for physicians. With the guidance of a certified physician coach, physicians can receive and offer support, as well as learn from one another. Small groups will meet beginning on April 25 for 45 minutes per week for three facilitated sessions. Go to  rechargedmd.com/covid19support . 
ACCMA Resources Toolkit
 
The ACCMA has put together a free toolkit of resources that address the day-to-day needs of East Bay physicians of all career stages and in all modes of practice, from food and grocery delivery services to exercises that can be done at home. Click here to access and download the toolkit.  
Upcoming Webinars
Thursday, April 16, 2020 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | FREE

During this COCA Call, presenters will provide an overview of the importance of mortality data, discuss the NCHS publication and the guidance it provides to clinicians who may need to certify a death involving COVID-19, and present a summary of COVID-19 surveillance through the NVSS.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM | FREE

This one-hour webinar led by Linda Hawes Clever, MD, MACP, will offer practical, creative, and effective remedies to deal with the crush on personal and professional lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will start with some strategies, resources, and suggestions and then quickly evolve to questions and answers, as we listen and see the ingenuity, guts, and devotion with which we are addressing the harrowing challenges we all face as a profession, community, and nation. Participants will discover how to r educe personal stress and learn healthy ways to contend with the impact of COVID-19.

You are encouraged to submit questions in advance to help her address the range of clinician concerns and responses to the crisis. And you can also briefly share any personal tips and practices that are helping you during this difficult time. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected].
Questions/Concerns?  

Please contact ACCMA at 510-654-5383 or   [email protected]   with any questions or concerns you have. Although we may not currently have an immediate answer to all questions, we want to know the information and resources that you need to continue to provide care for our community during this difficult time.  
 
This information will also be posted online at www.accma.org/COVID-19 and will be updated frequently. Please check the ACCMA website regularly for updates.