March 23, 2020 @ 5:00 p.m.
Latest Statistics

 Los Angeles County: 536 cases, 7 deaths
Orange County: 125 cases, 0 deaths
California: 1,733 cases, 27 deaths
U.S. Overall: 33,404 cases, 400 deaths
This past weekend Members of Congress raced to reach an agreement on an economic stimulus package in response to COVID-19.
 
Congress failed to reach an agreement. The House of Representatives is now expected to present their own bill because they are not satisfied with what the Senate put on the table. 

If you haven't already, please contact your Representative today!
We need to keep the pressure on House Representatives to make sure they continue to hear from health centers. Representatives need to include $3.2 billion immediately to sustain health center operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Members of Congress are deliberating as you are reading this note – we need you to contact your Representative NOW to ensure that our advocacy will impact the legislation being drafted by the House.

Thank you!
Compliance and Risk Management

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to remind all employees to continue to comply with our privacy and confidentiality policies for safeguarding Protected Health Information (PHI). 
 
  •  Employees should only access PHI through secured methods within our Virtual Private Network (VPN). Under no circumstances should an employee bring unsecured paper records containing PHI into their home environment, or print such information at their home environment without the prior approval of their senior leadership, including Frederick Knight, SVP and Chief Compliance Officer.
  • Employees should not allow friends or family members to use AltaMed devices which contain PHI.
  • Employees may not copy PHI or other confidential information to external media, such as external USB flash drives or hard drives without the pre-approval of the Kimberly Silverio, Privacy Officer and Douglas Murray, IT Security Officer.
 
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact: altamedprivacyoffice@altamed.org
Emergency ID Cards for Employees

For as long as the COVID-19 safer-at-home orders remain in effect, Police and Fire authorities may stop people traveling outside the home to ask them to provide proof that they are traveling to take care of essential activities. In some communities, authorities have issued citations for those violating the mandate.

Since AltaMed is an essential health care services organization, we are exempt from the safer-at-home mandate, and employees are permitted to come to work. These cards are being distributed to all employees this week. Please tuck this card into your badge holder, so they are handy to show authorities if you are stopped and questioned on your way to work.
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.