Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Los Angeles County continues to see “terrifying increases” in COVID-19 cases along with hospitalizations that are putting a growing strain on the region’s health care system, county officials said in an EMS conference. With one out of 200 LA County residents infected by COVID 19, county officials are mobilizing to provide an array of services and resources to meet pandemic-related needs head-on. In the second of a series of briefings for ethnic media on Dec. 3 to raise awareness of its programs, county speakers urged everyone to take precautions for their own health and to avoid spreading the infection to others.
Having grown up in southeast L.A., seeing COVID-19 disproportionately affect communities of color there has made her work this year feel personal, and being at the hospital — helping Spanish-speaking patients feel more comfortable by conversing with them in their native tongue — all the more important, said Erika Flores Uribe, an emergency medicine physician at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. Getting tested is vital; the county has expanded testing sites from 30 when the pandemic began to 180. Services at these sites are available whether or not people have insurance, money to pay and whatever their immigration or citizenship status. Call 211 to find the nearest testing site and make an appointment, added Dr.Erika.
“This is a virus that none of us are immune to. All of us can get this virus and transmit it to others,” said Dr. Tasa Dixon, lead physician for DHS’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center. “Please come in. We will not turn you away, we will not provide any information to authorities. We are here to care for your health.” If someone is at risk of transmitting COVID in his or her household because of possible exposure to the virus, the county has quarantine facilities available. These can be arranged by calling: (833) 540-0473.
We must keep ourselves and our families safe so that we can avoid getting sick and adding even more burden to our already overwhelmed healthcare system,” Hilda L. Solis, Pro Tem Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, whose district is home to more than 107,000 of the county’s 400,000-plus COVID patients. “It’s unacceptable. We have to find a way to bring down the curve of COVID by incentivizing our communities to take advantage of all these health care services.”
Antonia Jimenez, Director of the Department of Public Social Services, emphasized the CalFresh program, which provides help with grocery purchases for residents whether or not they have a home, a car or a job. One in three people in the county is getting CalFresh aid, with 70% of applications received over the phone approved on the same day. Those calls can be made in any of 10 languages, she said, and translators are available for other languages when needed.
Phones are staffed Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Applications can also be submitted at the web site getcalfresh.org. Beyond CalFresh, there are many food pantries offering groceries. For a list of these, check out the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s locator (https://www.lafoodbank.org/find-food/pantry-locator/) and also FoodFinder’s (https://foodfinder.us/).
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