July 8, 2020
We Are Always Just a Phone Call Away
During this COVID-19 era, many of us have been feeling overwhelmed with all the information out there and needing support navigating through it all. Our Beach Cities Health District team is here to help. Whether you're looking for COVID-19 or testing information, a local mental health provider or wanting assistance with errands, call the Assistance, Information & Referral line at 310-374-3426, ext. 256 , seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. to access the below services during COVID-19.
Health-related information and referrals:
With a network of more than 800 local health providers, BCHD is able to provide information and referrals for nearly every health topic. After a conversation with BCHD’s staff who help serve as a care navigator to help understand your needs, you’ll be provided referrals to vetted networks of support. You can also visit us online at bchd.org/resources .
Covered California:
As an enrollment site for Covered California, BCHD and our team of Certified Enrollment Counselors have helped more than 1,600 residents of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach enroll since 2013. With the economic uncertainty created by COVID-19, BCHD is able to support those newly eligible for healthcare benefits through the state marketplace. T he special enrollment deadline has been extended through July 31, 2020. For more information, click here .
Errand Assistance and Meal Delivery:
Our errand assistance program provides essentials to Beach Cities residents including groceries and household and cleaning supplies. The program now includes meal delivery services, providing affordable and healthy meals for home delivery to vulnerable populations and those safer at home in the Beach Cities. Learn more about meal delivery here .
Ever wondered who that friendly voice on the Assistance, Information & Referral line is? Here are the faces behind those voices! Pictured from left to right: Joseph, Sogia, Nicole, Sophia, Diana and Cindy.
Since mid-March, our Assistance, Information & Referral line operators, BCHD staff and volunteers have been busy behind the scenes. By the numbers:
  • Total calls to the Assistance, Information and Referral line: 1,895
  • Households supported with advocacy and enrollment: More than 50
  • Total errands by staff: 624
  • Total errands by volunteers: 177
  • Total meal deliveries by volunteers and staff: 339

Learn more about the Community Services team here .
Donate to the Beach Cities COVID-19 Fund
Donations will provide assistance to Beach Cities residents who are income qualified with essentials like groceries and household and cleaning supplies.
Stay Safe to Stay Open
With the rapid and significant increases in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and the testing positivity rate, now is the time for us to recommit to taking care of one another, especially our vulnerable populations.  Los Angeles County has seen significant increases in transmission between 18-40 year old residents.

Please stay home as much as possible and avoid all non-essential interactions with the public. Only gather with members of your household.

If you must leave your home, avoid the three C's and wear your cloth face covering and stay at least 6 feet apart from others who are not part of your household.

Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health reminds the community that “Our actions have consequences and they affect real people in our community. Choosing to not practice physical distancing or objecting to wearing cloth face coverings when around others can be a life-altering decision. Everyone shares the collective responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of COVID-19 to save lives.”
Avoid the three C's

CONFINED SPACES
Especially with poor ventilation. Outdoors is better than indoors.
CROWDED PLACES
The more people the higher the risk.
CLOSE CONTACT
Staying further apart is safer than being close together.

The more C's, the higher the risk! 
Beware of Hand Sanitizers with Methanol
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised consumers not to use any hand sanitizer manufactured by “Eskbiochem SA de CV” in Mexico, due to the potential presence of  methanol , a “toxic alcohol”, as an active ingredient, which can cause blindness and/or death when absorbed through the skin or when swallowed. Learn more here .

One of the best ways to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 is to wash your hands frequently . Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water is not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Hand sanitizers are only for hand hygiene and should not be ingested.
COVID-19 Testing at BCHD Campus 514 N. Prospect
Appointments for COVID-19 testing at Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City sites have been filling up quickly.

The county is strongly encouraging residents who have insurance to first contact their primary care provider for testing.

If you are unable to receive testing through your provider, please continue to check the site for availability at Los Angeles County or Los Angeles City sites, or make an appointment at a state-operated or community testing site such as CVS by visiting covid19.lacounty.gov/testing . Tests are free of charge and are by appointment only. 

Testing is available to all residents at Los Angeles City sites. Testing at all Los Angeles County sites including the BCHD site is available for symptomatic persons and asymptomatic persons who have a chronic condition or are an essential worker.

We recognize the importance of COVID-19 tests during these unprecedented times and apologize for any inconvenience. 
Testing is prioritized for:
  • Symptomatic persons with fever, cough, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell
  • Persons who are over age 65
  • Persons with a chronic medical condition
  • Essential workers which includes janitorial, security, airport, government, health care, food, grocery and more
  • Persons who have been close contacts of people who are positive for COVID-19
What to expect after you've been tested for COVID-19
If you are awaiting testing results, you should stay home and act as if you are positive. This means self-isolating for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside, or until you receive a negative result. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a contact tracer to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.
Virtual Beach Cities Summer Free Fitness Series
Grab your computer, break a sweat and de-stress at home!
Mondays in July
Family Yoga, 6 - 6:30 p.m.
Mindful Yoga, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Mondays in August
Zumba, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Virtual Moai Social: Butterfly Tour
Enjoy a virtual Butterfly Walking Tour that will feature the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly with Biologist Ann Dalkey. Connect with your community to tour the South Bay live from home to learn about why the Blue Butterfly is endangered, its life cycle, its habitat and efforts to improve its habitat. 
 Thursday, July 9
3 – 4 p.m.
Virtual Blue Zones Project Social Hour
Enjoy good company and practice a few Power 9 Principles of Longevity, including Down Shift and Right Tribe. This event will feature a food demo from Sacks in the City and Sacks at the Beach.
 Tuesday, July 14
4 – 5 p.m.
Virtual Garden Chat: Growing Food at Home
Join us for a Q&A Garden Chat featuring Mishell Balzer, BCHD’s Garden Education Coordinator! We’ll discuss growing food at home and share best practices and tips.
 Thursday, July 16
12 p.m.
Virtual BCHD Board of Directors Meeting
 Wednesday, July 22
6:30 p.m.
Virtual Families Connected Parent Chat
Open to all parents. A free parent support group led by a licensed professional from the Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment at Torrance Memorial Medical Center held in partnership with South Bay Families Connected.
Mondays
10 – 11 a.m.
Virtual Happiness Chat
Support your well-being with casual discussions focused on connection and resilience.
Tuesdays
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Summer Wellness Challenge: Garden
Growing your own garden can be a rewarding, fun and creative experience that the whole family can enjoy. Plant ingredients that you like to eat or want to try. Mix and match your own creative combinations as you harvest and prepare tasty, healthy dishes at home – the sky’s the limit!

For tips on growing your own food, check out the two videos on transplanting and seed planting in this week's handout.
#LiveWellAtHome
Get unlimited access to all Center for Health & Fitness live virtual exercise classes for $22 during July.

Small Group Training is also available virtually for $12 per class.
Healthy Living Campus
BCHD has refined the Master Plan for its proposed Healthy Living Campus in Redondo Beach and presented the updated concept to the BCHD Board of Directors June 17.

The pared-down project features many changes based on community input, including fewer units, reduced square footage, re-positioned buildings and less construction time.

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process will continue ⁠— originally started in June 2019 ⁠— with the more compact Healthy Living Campus Master plan as the basis of the project description, which will inform the public and project decision-makers about significant environmental effects and identify possible ways to minimize or avoid those effects.

We are currently in the midst of the EIR process, so no decisions regarding the proposed campus have been made. The concept phase is complete and we are now heading into the environmental analysis. The Draft EIR is expected to be released late 2020.
What to do if you have been in a crowded setting
If you are out and about in a crowded setting, where people are congregating who are not using face coverings or distancing, or if you had close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with non-household members who were not wearing face coverings please consider the following:

Remain in your residence, away from others, in self-quarantine for 14 days

If you live with persons who are elderly or have high-risk conditions, you should:
  • Maintain at least a 6 ft. distance and wear a face covering when you are with them at home
  • Avoid preparing food for others
  • Avoid sharing utensils, bedding and towels
  • Increase cleaning and disinfecting of common surfaces

Consider getting tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed to someone that is positive or likely positive
  • If the test result is positive, you need to self-isolate for 10 days and 72 hours after symptoms and fever subside
  • Even if the test result is negative, you still need to remain at home and self-quarantine for 14 days to prevent spreading illness to others
This is especially important if you live with high-risk individuals such as older adults and those with serious underlying health conditions. These vulnerable individuals are still at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
We Can All Be Health Leaders
In addition to physical distancing and wearing cloth face coverings when we are around others, we all still need to take the same precautions that we were taking earlier on in the pandemic - wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands and self-isolate if you are sick. These actions combined are the best defense against COVID-19.
As of 7/7/2020
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