SACRAMENTO – In an effort to help decompress California’s healthcare delivery system during the statewide surge in COVID-19 cases, Alternate Care Sites and Residential Alternate Care Sites are being established across California. The Residential Alternate Care Sites, which are coming online in real time, will help ease the burden on California hospitals by providing needed care and support to people recovering from COVID-19 who do not require hospital-level care but are also not yet ready to return to their previous facilities.
The Residential Alternate Care Sites will serve as a resource for California’s adult and senior care facilities and the surrounding community, which care for older and/or disabled Californians who are no longer able to live in their homes. These facilities are licensed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) or Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs). The Residential Alternate Care Sites will provide a level of support consistent with requirements for RCFEs and ARFs, which includes supervision and assistance with the activities of daily living such as bathing and feeding, and can include care by licensed nurses for individuals recovering from COVID-19.
“The residents of adult and senior care facilities and are among California’s most vulnerable and are at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19,” said CDSS Director Kim Johnson. “During this unprecedented surge, these new temporary sites will help free up our hospitals and nursing facilities to care for those with the most acute needs, while providing residents a place to receive needed care and treatment as they recover from COVID-19.”
So far, six of these sites have opened with the capacity to care for 114 individuals:
| City | Capacity |
| Indio, CA | 5 |
| Murrieta, CA | 6 |
| Fair Oaks, CA | 6 |
| Stockton, CA | 3 |
| Modesto, CA | 14 |
| Norwalk, CA | 80 |
To view the most up-to-date information, visit the Alternate Care Site public dashboard.
Individuals interested in opportunities to help California meet urgent COVID-19 medical response needs are encouraged to visit the following sites:
- Statewide deployment: emsa.ca.gov/CAL-MAT
- Serve part-time: www.healthcorps.ca.gov
- Volunteer locally: www.healthcarevolunteers.ca.gov
- Statewide CDSS, Community Care Licensing Division Adult and Senior Care Regional Offices: www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/CCLD/ASC.pdf
Visit www.covid19.ca.gov for more information on the state’s response to COVID-19 and critical steps Californians can take to stay healthy.