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LA County launched a new COVID-19 home test collection program today, which allows certain County residents to do free testing from the comfort of their own homes.

The home test collection program will run from December 1, 2020 through January 15, 2021. It aims to help address the current surge in demand for testing and reduce the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season when people may risk exposure. Individuals can have testing kits mailed to their home if they:

• Have COVID-19 symptoms; or
• Were recently in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 or is suspected of having it; or
• Are a senior or person with disabilities who feel they were exposed to COVID-19, but are unable to go to a testing site.

“As the surge in cases and hospitalizations continues, LA County is trying innovative ways to meet the testing demand and stem the community spread of the virus,” said Dr. Clemens Hong, who oversees COVID-19 testing for LA County under the Department of Health Services.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure testing is available to all,” Hong said. “This allows us to reach even more people – and they don’t have to risk exposing others by leaving their homes. It’s an important step for combatting the virus in LA County.”

The week before Thanksgiving, almost half a million tests were performed in LA County at over 180 community testing sites, hospitals, clinics, and other facilities.

The temporary program will use Picture COVID-19, an FDA-approved home collection test developed by Fulgent Genetics, Inc. For information on how to register, individuals should go to the county COVID-19 testing site. If they qualify, Fulgent Genetics will ship a collection kit to their home within two days.

Individuals taking the test at home should follow the directions to collect the sample and take it to a FedEx drop box the same day or have someone take it to a drop box on their behalf. Individuals will receive the results by e-mail within two days. While waiting for the testing kit and the results, individuals should continue following public health guidance on staying home and avoiding contact with others.

The COVID-19 Home Test Collection Pilot launch comes after Thanksgiving weekend, when some may have been exposed to COVID-19 while celebrating or shopping. A modified safer-at-home order took effect Monday, Nov. 30 that advises people to stay at home as much as possible and places new restrictions on gatherings and businesses.

To learn more about COVID-19 testing in LA County, visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing.

About DHS

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its integrated system of 27 health centers and four hospitals - and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for over 600,000 unique patients, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual budget of over $6 billion. For additional information regarding DHS please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov.

About Fulgent Genetics

Since March 2020, Fulgent Genetics has commercially launched several tests for the detection of COVID-19. The company has received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for RT-PCR-based tests for COVID-19 detection, including home collection testing.

L.A County launched the County COVID-19 Community Equity Fund to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in communities disproportionately impacted by the virus. Fifty-one community-based organizations, or CBOs, will receive funding to provide a range of services, including outreach, education, case investigation and contact tracing. They also will help individuals who live in hard-hit neighborhoods connect with health and social services.

The goal of the Community Equity Fund is to reduce the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in L.A. County by partnering with organizations and providing them with funding, training and technical assistance. The organizations will raise awareness in their communities on how to prevent spreading COVID-19 and will connect residents to health care, social services and COVID-19 testing when necessary. Some will also conduct case investigation and contact tracing to inform people who have been exposed to or are infected with COVID-19 about their risks and the need to isolate and quarantine, respectively.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Department of Public Health and our trusted community-based organizations in hard-hit neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County,” said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the L.A. County Department of Health Services. “We believe the grassroots effort will help educate our residents, link them to much-needed services and help slow the spread of COVID-19.”

“We know the neighborhoods that are highly impacted by COVID-19 are most vulnerable due to historic and present-day inequities,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “This investment recognizes the need to support new and existing community-centered interventions to combat these injustices and take action to reduce the inequities we are seeing in our communities.”

The Community Equity Fund is a joint effort by the L.A. County Department of Health Services and the L.A. County Department of Public Health in partnership with Community Partners, a nonprofit organization that will coordinate with the CBOs. The 51 community-based organizations were selected because of their experience in providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services in historically underserved communities. They also have a demonstrated history in advancing equity and experience in outreach and engagement.

“Community-based organizations are trusted messengers that share the ethnicity, language, and life experiences of the residents they serve,” said Los Angeles Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis. “I am pleased to see many organizations, with longstanding histories of fighting for healthcare access, immigrants’ rights and social justice, serving as the bridge between care and our families in a culturally appropriate manner.”

Solis added, “Their work to provide education and outreach in underserved neighborhoods, which are predominately communities of color, hardest hit by COVID-19, is vital to address long-standing health inequities.”

The CBOs represent the diversity that is Los Angeles County and they include health care centers, immigrant rights groups, churches and other organizations. Over the course of the next year, they will receive funding ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, as well as capacity building, training and technical assistance. The County is also appreciative of the additional support and partnership of the group of funders that have come together under Together Toward Health, a project of the Public Health Institute. Their support has been and will continue to be instrumental in helping the County achieve its COVID equity goals.

The partner organizations are:

African Communities Public Health Coalition

Alma Family Services

Anti-Recidivism Coalition

Armenian Relief Society of Western USA, Social Services

Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council

California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA)

California Black Women's Health Project

California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative (fiscal sponsor Asian Health Services)

California Native Vote Project, a project of Community Partners

Center for Living and Learning

Central City Neighborhood Partners

Chinatown Service Center

CIELO comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo

Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

Community Coalition

Community Development Technologies Center

Dignity Health – Northridge Hospital Foundation

East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice

Esperanza Community Housing Corporation

Gender Justice LA

Good Seed Community Development Corporation

The G.R.E.E.N (Gathering Resources to Educate and Empower through Network) Foundation

Herald Christian Health Center

InnerCity Struggle

International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA)**

Kheir Clinic

Khmer Girls in Action

Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade

Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches

LTSC Community Development Corporation

Maternal and Child Health Access

Northeast Valley Health Corporation

Pacoima Beautiful

Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California

Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, Inc.

Proyecto Pastoral

Pukuu Cultural Community Services

QueensCare Health Centers

SAAHAS For Cause

Southern California Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team

Southern California Rehabilitation Services, Inc.

St. John's Well Child & Family Center

The TransLatin@ Coalition

Urban Peace Institute

Valley Care Community Consortium

Vision y Compromiso

The Wall Las Memorias Project

Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC)

Whittier Area First Day Coalition

Young Invincibles

In an effort to assist restaurants affected by the COVID-19 restrictions, Los Angeles County will launch the Keep LA County Dining Grant Program on Thursday, December 3, 2020, at 12:00 a.m.

The Keep LA County Dining Grant will provide $30,000 to use as working capital for employee payroll expenses, capital to continue operations, payment of outstanding business expenses, and adaptive business practices needed to remain open. Preference will be given to restaurants that provided outdoor dining as of November 24, 2020.

The Program, approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on November 24, 2020, and operated by the Los Angeles County Development Authority, will be available to small businesses located in the County of Los Angeles, not including the Cities of Los Angeles and Pasadena, that can demonstrate that their business was impacted by COVID-19 through a hardship due to closure and a reduction in revenue. Businesses that have already received assistance from other Los Angeles County Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act programs are not eligible for this Program.

“Earlier this year, restaurants made incredible sacrifices to align with public safety protocols in order to open for in person dining and help pay their bills,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.  “These restaurants, the vast majority of which employ fewer than 25 people, truly represent the small business community that drives the County’s economic engine. The recent health officer orders to close in person dining was a devastating blow and as a result, the Board identified the need to immediately deploy grant funding to support these impacted small businesses.”

“Restaurants are integral to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of our County,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis. “They contribute to the historical identity of our communities and are also responsible for employing a workforce that is dependent on jobs with low barriers to entry for their livelihood. I am keenly aware that many are not in agreement with the recent temporary suspension of outdoor dining, but it is necessary to protect our collective well-being. Nonetheless, it is critical that we continue to assist this sector by providing funding to impacted restaurants so that we can help keep them afloat while we weather this pandemic together. Together is the only way that we can beat this virus, not alone and not divided.”

“This pandemic and the recent closure of outdoor dining has been devastating to our restaurants and restaurant workers,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “These grants are meant to help as many restaurants as possible make ends meet and make it through this crisis. We know it won’t be enough. We need another federal stimulus package to get a lifeline to all of our businesses and workers that are struggling.”

The application period will begin Thursday, December 3, 2020, at 12:00 a.m., and be available through Sunday, December 6, 2020, at 11:59 p.m., or until 2,500 applications are received, whichever comes first.

For additional program information, please visit keeplacountydining.lacda.org or call (626) 943-3833. Questions regarding the grant program can be sent to keeplacountydining@lacda.org. All media may contact Elisa Vasquez, LACDA Public Information Officer, at (626) 586-1762.

LOS ANGELES – As California’s counties reach sobering new milestones in COVID-19 cases, L.A. County and its partner, Healthvana, are taking a bold step to control community spread. Individuals with a positive test are now able to immediately and anonymously notify anyone with whom they have recently come in close contact, using their mobile phones.

By reducing COVID-19 exposure notifications from days to hours, officials hope to further reduce community spread by encouraging close contacts to quickly quarantine and obtain a free test. This is only one aspect of the County’s extensive effort on contact tracing which is led by the Department of Public Health.

“This is a prime example of how to harness technology to help Angelenos immediately inform their contacts and help slow the spread of infection, especially as we see the rate of infections and hospitalizations rising in communities across the County,” said Dr. Clemens Hong, Director of Whole Person Care with the Department of Health Services, which oversees the County’s testing sites. “By rapidly alerting people who may have been exposed to the virus so they can use that information to isolate themselves and protect their loved ones, we can make big strides in slowing progression and reducing the terrible impacts of COVID illness.”

Los Angeles County has partnered with Healthvana since April 2020, which already delivers test results for county-operated sites. Test result notifications are sent via text message or email the moment the lab processes the sample. With this added feature, individuals who receive a positive test result can easily click a link within the web-based patient portal to enter contact information for any recent close contacts.

These close contacts instantly receive a notification from Healthvana alerting them that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 with links to resources, including locations where they can schedule a free COVID-19 test.

“Patients are the most underutilized resource in healthcare and L.A. County is the first to empower their community to be part of the solution in this way to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Ramin Bastani, CEO of Healthvana. “Millions of test results later, we know people prefer to use their phones when it comes to COVID-19 – on average, patients access their results in less than 30 minutes. Now we have a chance to reduce exposure notifications from a few days to a few hours.”

The contact tracing feature will be initially rolled out to County-operated testing sites. There are currently over 180 total testing sites across the region which include County-operated sites, City of Los Angeles-operated sites, State-operated sites and locations run by community clinics, pharmacies, and various other testing partners. Healthvana has delivered over 750,000 COVID-19 test results to County-operated testing sites since late April. Los Angeles County was one of the first counties to deliver test results via Healthvana, which has been proven successful: 50% of individuals view test results in 10 mins or less; 75% view their test results in one hour or less; and 90% view their test results in four hours or less.

About the Department of Health Services

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its integrated system of 27 health centers and four hospitals - and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for 600,000 unique patients, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual budget of over $6.2 billion. To learn more, visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov.

About Healthvana

Healthvana’s mission is to help eliminate COVID-19 using technology. The mobile patient platform has delivered over 3.5 million HIPAA-compliant COVID-19 test results. Test results are delivered the moment labs are done processing the sample, and people have permanent access to results and vaccination records for sharing with physicians, work, schools and more. Since 2015, Healthvana has simplified the delivery of patient health information for faster behavior change. Healthvana works with states and local government, labs, employers, and schools to reduce costs, simplify COVID-19 testing and contact tracing management, and improve community engagement. To learn more, visit www.healthvana.com.