Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/richard-sanchez/)
Local hospitals, eyeing surges in coronavirus cases in other parts of the country, are stretching out their capacity to a total goal of 5,367 beds available countywide, and county health care agency officials say the medical facilities are more than 60% full.
Orange County health officials will not list what cities have cases, a big difference than Los Angeles and San Diego. OC officials acknowledge cities have requested privacy and they think it’s counterproductive to say where the cases come from.
The virtual meeting — which got nearly 2,000 comments and more than 16,000 views on Facebook as of Thursday — comes as health officials have reported only six known cases countywide, out of the 3.2 million total people in OC, and no evidence of the virus spreading in the county yet.
County Supervisor and CalOptima Director Andrew Do is criticizing the county health insurance agency for the poor and elderly for being too slow in implementing medical teams that will treat homeless people on the streets, just as CalOptima is being asked to appear in a federal court hearing over homeless policies next month.
County officials and lawyers for homeless people said they planned to work over the three-day holiday weekend to help ensure any homeless people who want motel rooms before the Tuesday deadline can quickly move into them.
Assistant Director Richard Sanchez will assume the top role at the end of March, when Director Mark Refowitz retires.
Supervisors’ Chairman Bill Campbell hails the work of employees
during the December storms. Employees recount some of their
harrowing experiences.