COVID-19 News

New Health Order Protects Senior Citizens

The City of Long Beach issued a new health order that requires long-term care facilities to institute a range of protocols to slow the spread of COVID-19, including a tightening of visitation policies, mandating face coverings and requiring daily temperature screenings for staff and residents. The order applies to facilities serving individuals 65 years and older or those with underlying health conditions.

Because of the concentrated living conditions and the nature of the services provided, long-term care facilities pose a greater challenge when it comes to preventing the spread of infection. Physical distancing protocols, while important, are not sufficient in long-term care facilities.

The new order, effective last week and until further notice, requires that long-term care facilities require the following:

• Limited entry – Only employees, first responders, medical professionals or contracted essential maintenance workers are allowed. All visitors are prohibited. End of life visits are allowed with limitations. Virtual visits are allowed.
• Face coverings – All staff must wear surgical masks at all times in the facility. When outside their room, residents must wear a surgical mask (when available) or a cloth face covering. Surgical masks are required for all patients with symptoms.
• Temperature screenings – Daily temperature checks are required for all staff and residents. Anyone entering the facility must undergo a temperature screening and self-evaluation for COVID-19 symptoms; individuals with symptoms will not be allowed to enter the facility.

The order applies to all Licensed Congregate Facilities in Long Beach. This action was put in place by the City Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis, and in accordance with the Emergency Powers granted to the City Manager through the Proclamation of Local Emergency.

Of the 27 deaths attributed to COVID-19 thus far in Long Beach, 22 are associated with long-term care facilities. As older adults have a higher risk for illness and medical complications, the Long Beach Health and Human Services (Health) Department has been working closely with long-term care facilities over many years to assist, monitor and enforce proper protocols to prevent infection among older adults.

Council Takes Action for Economic Relief

Last week the Long Beach City Council unanimously adopted 25 individual actions related to a historic local Economic Relief Package designed to help working families and small business owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The programs will help working families and small business owners address the following critical needs, among others:

• To fill gaps in federal supplemental sick leave policy, the city attorney will draft an ordinance requiring Long Beach employers with more than 500 employees nationwide to provide supplemental sick leave.
• To help impacted hotels and motels, creating a Hospitality Recovery Task Force to develop a plan to develop strategies for the recovery of visitors, business travel, leisure tourism and overnight stay rooms in Long Beach.
• To help mortgage-holders partner with nonprofits to promote state and federal foreclosure protection programs, and work with nonprofit economic development or community development corporations to develop a mortgage assistance program.
• To assist hotel and janitorial workers who have been laid off, the city attorney will draft an ordinance to provide worker retention and recall policies.
• To provide working capital to local small businesses and non-profit organizations unable to secure federal loans, the city approved the creation of a new Emergency Microloan Program.
• To protect the health of both customers and workers, the City Health Officer established new protocols including a new user-friendly small business checklist to be posted at all essential businesses.
• To reach more residents with information about support services in a variety of languages, the city will expand its Language Access Program.

To safely assist people under self-quarantine, with a priority on older people. city management will continue to offer current resources and expanding on opportunities to help those in need, especially people over 60 years old.

To make these programs more accessible to local workers and small business owners, the City offers many resources, including:

• A hotline, (562) 570-INFO (4636), for general COVID-19 questions
• A hotline, (562) 570-4BIZ (4249), for businesses and workers
• A new website for businesses and workers
• A website for COVID-19 informational resources
• A website for business and worker resources
• To collect and distribute donations to organizations helping people affected by COVID-19, the city created the Long Beach Disaster Relief Fund, in partnership with the Long Beach Community Foundation.
• To connect people who want to volunteer their time or resources to help others in quarantine, a new volunteer website has been established.

Coronavirus Relief Fund Exceeds $1,000,000

The City of Long Beach, in partnership with the Long Beach Community Foundation, has raised more than $1,000,000 from members of the community, businesses and family foundations to address coronavirus-related issues.

Approximately half of the amount raised has already been granted into the community to address the current public health crisis, and the momentum continues this week with updated priority funding announced.

The Coronavirus Relief Fund began accepting donations on March 18. The Long Beach Community Foundation promptly began collecting donations while simultaneously developing a program to distribute the funds quickly back into the community to support five defined funding priorities which include:

• Serving low-income individuals affected by COVID-19 to pay for critical expenses
• Microloans and/or funds to small businesses affected by COVID-19 to pay for critical expenses and adapt business models during this crisis.
• Providing emergency funds for workers laid off as a result of COVID-19.
• Providing assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness for sheltering, food, sanitation supplies to mitigate the spread COVID-19, and to quarantine as a result of COVID-19 exposure.
• Providing food and critical supply delivery to those who are home-bound.

Additional funding priorities were added to continue to support the most pressing current needs in Long Beach:

• Support for Emergency Health Workers: Grants to nonprofits who can assist community clinics and hospitals responding to increased patient flow, triaging those who are sick, exposed or in need of testing, and to support isolation and quarantine sites being established and operated in Long Beach.
• Support for Mental Health & Domestic Violence Sheltering: Grants to nonprofits who will support existing mental health and domestic violence services that need to expand due to increased demand from impacts of the coronavirus.

“While Federal and State assistance programs were being developed, the Long Beach Community Foundation set into motion both a funding stream and a process for quick deployment of resources,” said Long Beach Community Foundation President & CEO Marcelle Epley. “Careful advanced planning, an in-depth knowledge of the community and its nonprofits helped launch this program efficiently, which is benefiting thousands of Long Beach residents right now where the need is the greatest.”

More than $475,000 has been distributed to 31 nonprofits that are keeping families fed, sheltering people experiencing homelessness, providing key resources to businesses and supporting fragile populations quarantined during this public health crisis. Individual organizations are awarded up to $20,000 each, and the grant application process will be available for as long as funding allows.

To make a contribution: Text: “SupportLB” to 501-55 and follow the prompts to donate. PayPal: Use PayPal online or the smartphone application to @SupportLB. Credit Card: Visit longbeachcf.org to fill out the secure online form. Check: Check donations may be mailed to Long Beach Community Foundation, 400 Oceangate, Suite 800, Long Beach, CA 90802. Please write Long Beach Coronavirus Relief Fund in the memo section of your check.

Hospital Offers Onsite Grocery Mart to Staff

Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center (SMMC) is trying to make a difficult situation a little easier for their healthcare workers with the implementation of an onsite grocery store. A section of the hospital’s cafeteria has been set-up as a mini mart with shopping available every day of the week.

“I am so proud of the continued dedication of the entire St. Mary team and hope this program provides more time for our staff and physicians to spend with their families,” states Carolyn Caldwell, SMMC hospital president. “Our community continues to rally around our healthcare workers and first responders and if we can help one another, even with simple things like groceries, we will get through this, together.”

As grocery chains face restocking issues, safety concerns, and restricted operating hours, it can be difficult for the essential healthcare workers to get items they need for their families. Thanks to the hospital’s partnership with distributors like U.S. Foods, the cafeteria is able to purchase items and sell them to staff at cost.