COVID-19: Medical Sheltering at the Bell Gardens Quality Inn and Suites

Referrals to these sites are made by the Los Angeles County Department of Public
Health (DPH). Walk-ups or individuals who self-identify themselves as needing medical sheltering are not accepted.

The only clients allowed to stay here are:

1. Clients who have tested positive for COVID-19; or
2. Clients who show symptoms of COVID-19 (for example have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing) and/or are waiting for their test results.

This location, as with the other County contracted medical sheltering sites, will accept individuals from the local community that are referred through DPH. The socio-economic status of individuals needing medical sheltering is not a determining factor in terms of who gets placed.

Los Angeles County has drive-up mobile testing sites for the public. Follow these steps if you are interested in being tested:

• Register on the screening website, coronavirus.lacity.org/Testing.
• Answer basic questions including name, date of birth, address, and whether you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing.
• The website (in real time) determines your testing eligibility and will identify the nearest testing site.
• If you are eligible, you will receive a registration number by email. You will need to bring this registration number to the test site.

If you do not have access to the Internet or a computer, dial 2-1-1 for help making an appointment. If you do not have access to a vehicle, you can still be tested, as long as you have an appointment. Testing sites can accommodate pedestrians. There are, however, NO walk-up appointments. For a full list of locations and answers to questions about testing, go to covid19.lacounty.gov .

The Department of Health Services’ Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is handling transportation of clients to the medical shelters and to hospitals when critical needs arise.

Each client is first interviewed by medical personnel onsite before they are escorted to their room. Medical personnel are managing this process directly onsite.

Currently, it has approximately 90 rooms available for medical sheltering.

Approximately 15 clients from the Dockweiler medical shelter were transferred to the Bell Gardens Quality Inn and Suites. These clients have a higher level of medical needs, but do not meet the threshold for hospitalization. Moving these clients will provide a more stable environment.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) Housing for Health, in partnership with other providers, will provide medical care onsite. County staff will provide management and staff which will support onsite logistics. Other wraparound services that are provided include meal delivery, sanitation, laundry and mental health support.

The County has contracted with private security firms to provide 24/7 security, ensuring the health and safety of the clients and staff.

No, clients assigned to medical sheltering must remain in quarantine or must self-isolate. Clients in the facility have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are awaiting test results and currently exhibiting symptoms -- but their symptoms are still mild enough to not merit hospitalization.

The main goal of COVID-19 medical shelters is to provide a safe place where clients can both recover from symptoms and also isolate themselves so that they do not spread the coronavirus to others. All clients will not be allowed to leave the area until after their isolation or quarantine period ends.

Onsite medical personnel will monitor each client’s case and approve discharge when they are no longer at-risk of being contagious to other people. Support service providers will be onsite to help ensure people experiencing homelessness have access to housing accommodations once they are discharged.

The County has a two-month lease to use it, with the option to negotiate extensions of the lease.

Self-isolation and self-quarantine are our most effective strategies in slowing the spread of this virus and protecting our families and our communities. Residents of LA County and Southeast LA neighborhoods need and deserve a safe space where they can recover from COVID-19 while receiving medical care. The Bell Gardens medical sheltering site offers residents an opportunity to heal safely from this virus while remaining in close proximity to their families and communities.

After surveying hundreds of potential locations for additional medical shelters, and opening several sites in the last several weeks, the County has identified Bell Gardens Quality Inn and Suites as a necessary location for another medical sheltering site in its network. It meets several immediate needs of the County, including its geographic location, facility footprint and site amenities, and the opportunity to support a local hotel business.

Yes, the County of Los Angeles is establishing additional medical sheltering beds for people who either have been exposed to COVID-19 or who health authorities have determined need to self-isolate or self-quarantine but cannot do so in their own home. Approximately 900 medical sheltering beds are now available for people in need. If you are a hotel or motel operator interested in partnering with the County and willing to provide your facility as a COVID-19 medical shelter, please visit our website, doingbusiness.lacounty.gov . The County has created this website to quickly identify and engage interested hotel/motel operators in the COVID-19 response.