June 10, 2020 @ 1:00 p.m.
Every other day, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Berenice Constant, VP, Government Relations, and Elizabeth Sepetjian, AVP, Talent Management (HR), give an update for clinic leaders and corporate line of business leaders. You can read today's notes here .
Sherrill Brown, MD
Berenice Constant
Liz Sepetjian
Questions?

If you have questions about anything you've heard in the briefing, or for any COVID-19 related questions, click here to submit your questions. They will be reviewed by our COVID-19 task force and answered in our next daily briefing alert or as soon as possible.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions! Know that this is a safe space and that most questions will be answered individually prior to being shared anonymously with staff.

We continue to receive repeat questions - please be sure to check our running lists of FAQs, below, to see if your question has already been answered.


(Also available on Town Square )
COVID-19 Communications

Beginning next week, COVID-19 huddles, which currently take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:45 a.m., will only be held on Wednesday mornings. We will, therefore, be emailing this COVID-19 alert only once a week. As such, we encourage you to use existing communications, such as the Wednesday-only COVID-19 huddles, COVID-19 resource and policy pages on Town Square, altamed.org/coronavirus , and any regular emails you receive. If you have suggestions for other ways to best communicate with staff, please click here and share them. We welcome your input.
Return to Work Planning Underway

A number of departments have been meeting regularly to discuss, plan and prepare how and when to open our programs, services and offices. This is a multi-tiered process that requires a great deal of coordination. We will work to ensure a safe environment for our staff, providers and patients.

Currently, we are working on guidelines and protocols on how to live and work alongside COVID-19. We are also working on logistics for PACE testing. Once these are finalized, we will share them accordingly. Staff may get tested by either going through their Primary Care Physician (PCP) or making an appointment on the appropriate Los Angeles or Orange County website.
 
Regarding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), thanks to our hard-working Supply and Purchasing teams, we have an ample supply on hand. Please make sure to wear PPE correctly and discard it appropriately.
Updates from Human Resources

Open Enrollment
Our Employee Open Enrollment period closes at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 12. This year’s Open Enrollment period includes a passive enrollment option – if you do not want to make any changes to your benefit elections, your current benefits will automatically roll over to the next benefit period. However, the passive enrollment option does NOT apply to Flexible Spending Accounts or the Medical Opt Out. In order to participate in these offerings, you must actively enroll or re-enroll for each benefit period. Please refer to the Benefits Guide to learn more.

To register for an Open Enrollment Webinar, please click on a date/time below:

To schedule a one-on-one meeting with a representative from Aflac, please click here . The Benefits Support Center will be available Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to assist with benefits-related questions or to help enroll over the phone. For questions, please contact the Benefits Support Center at benefits@altamed.org or by calling (323) 720-5670, Option 1.

Free Financial Coaching by UnidosUS
The financial experts at  UnidosUS.org are available to provide free financial coaching and guidance to all AltaMed employees. They can coach and guide you to help improve your credit score, reduce debt, plan for retirement, purchase a home, and more. Email  LiveWell@AltaMed.org  to learn more or get connected to a UnidosUS financial and guidance coach.

Mental Wellbeing Webinar on June 18
LiveWell Employee Wellness will host a webinar on how mental health and physical health interact. Where Is Your Mind? The Mental Part of Health will be held on Thursday, June 18 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
 
To Register:
  • Log onto Vitality; Click Resources; Click Health Resources; Select Health FYI Webcasts
  • Participants will receive 50 LiveWell points through Vitality
Continuing Our Safety Practices

As more and more businesses open, we remind you to continue adhering to safety guidelines, including wearing a mask at all times, social distancing, and washing your hands regularly.

At work, we all must continue following the safe practices below. It is everyone's responsibility to adhere to these protocols to ensure the safety of our staff and patients.
 
  • Patient-facing staff, including front office, should wear a face shield or eye covering in addition to a face mask – avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Face masks should be worn at all times over your nose and mouth (except when drinking or eating), and should be stored properly or discarded.
  • Employees must wear appropriate PPE when on site.
  • Maintain hand hygiene – all staff should have easy access to hand sanitizer dispensers to clean hands frequently, and should be washing hands for 20 seconds at a time.
  • Practice social distancing – six feet apart from other individuals whether inside or outside.
  • Wipe down any work surfaces you touch.
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.