GME Information

Hotel Rooms for Caregivers

Hotel Rooms for designated caregivers are available for the house officer concerned with protecting family members from unnecessary exposures.  Caregivers can request single-night accommodations from the screening lead at each hospital between 4:30am and 9:00pm. Screening leads will then meet the caregivers at either the Med Ed Theater in La Jolla or the Auditorium in Hillcrest. If multiple nights are needed, caregivers will need to make a daily request for accommodations. Rooms are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Screening leads can be contacted at:

  • Hillcrest Medical Center: 619-613-5330
  • Jacobs Medical Center: 619-851-7336
  • Hotel Information

Paid Administrative Leave 

Through an Executive Order of President Napolitano, the University of California has granted 128 hours of paid administrative leave for 3 specific categories related to COVID-19 absences from work/academic duties. These paid administrative leave hours can be used between March 1, 2020 and December 31,2020, in order to lessen the financial impact of absences related to COVID-19 on members of the University of California community. 

Paid administrative leave may be taken only when at least one of the following circumstances are met:

  1. When an employee (or academic appointee) is unable to work due to the employee’s (academic appointee’s) own COVID-19 related illness or that of a family member; or
  2. When an employee (or academic appointee) is unable to work because the employee (academic appointee) has been directed not to come to the worksite for COVID-19 related reasons and/or the worksite has implemented a COVID-19 related remote work program or is under a shelter in place order and it is not operationally feasible for the employee to work remotely; or
  3. When an employee (or academic appointee) is unable to work because a COVID-19 related school or daycare closure requires the employee (academic appointee) to be at home with a child or dependent, and it is not operationally feasible for the employee (academic appointee) to work remotely or in conjunction with the childcare commitment.  

Attached to  this email are frequently asked questions covering a wide scope of topics.  Additionally, below are included some quick reference answers to questions we have received:

  1. Resident and Fellow Housestaff are eligible for the paid administrative leave.
  2. Your Supervisor (Program Director) needs to approve this leave. 
  3. The use of paid administrative time shall not adversely affect the delivery of essential university services, including, in particular, the clinical services delivered by UC San Diego Health.

Expanded Health Benefits for Housestaff

UCOP has made a few COVID-19 coverage  decisions to help residents and fellows during this period.  New Anthem Blue Cross information is posted to the UCOP resident benefits website www.residentbenefits.com.  As new information becomes available they will be making more decisions that will help member cost share and improve access to care.  New updates will be posted to the website.  Please check back daily for updates.

Anthem HMO and PPO plans

  • The PPO and HMO plans will pay the full cost of COVID testing and associated services related to the test.
  • Live Health Online – copays will be waived for bother Medical and Behavioral Health visits during this time
  • Anthem is relaxing prescription refill limits where permitted for members who wish to receive a 20 day supply of most maintenance medications early

Child Care Options

We recognized the unexpected stress that the closure of schools and childcare facilities has placed on our working parents.  We want to support you in the best way possible.  Affected residents should work closely with the program director and, in collaboration, develop an individualized learning plan to balance each resident’s learning needs, patient care demands, childcare needs and compliance with ACGME Board Requirements.

Sitter City

  • Sitter city
  • Use Sittercity’s web tools to find appropriate in-home caregivers.  New membership is currently 50% off.
  • Some UCSD MS1 and MS2 have offered to help UCSD Residents during this difficult time with childcare.   We are working this out with the medical student community, stayed tuned.
  • We encourage you to come together with your GME colleagues to help one another in this time of need by combining childcare resources and/or sharing child care duties amongst yourselves  

UCSD MS1 and MS2 Medical Students

  • Many UCSD MS1 and MS2 have offered to help UCSD Residents during this difficult time with childcare and other household support (pet care, errands, etc.) within San Diego County. Once you have completed the form at that link, students will respond to the requests. Depending on volume, students will do their best to respond to requests as soon as possible, but it may take a few days. Thanks for your patience. Full instructions, details, and limitations are listed at the link here:   Childcare form
  •  We encourage you to come together with your GME colleagues to help one another in this time of need by combining childcare resources and/or sharing child care duties amongst yourselves  

YMCA Childcare Resources

YMCA Childcare Resource Service (CRS) is helping families find the options that might work for their families. The YMCA’s CRS department offers families options with open child care centers and family child care homes who are licensed and inspected.  YMCA CRS is committed to supporting health care, first responders, law enforcement, and military professionals and is offering a dedicated line, staffed at all times, to contact an advisor. These families can call 619-952-0242.  During this call providers discuss their child care needs with an advisor, who will complete a specialized search to identify the licensed child care options. Advisors will call providers on the family’s behalf to see which providers have open slots and may meet their needs best.  

If the phone line is busy, YMCA CRS will return calls as soon as possible. If the provider has access to a computer,  they can also conduct an online search by visiting ymcasd.org/childcarereferrals

YMCA CRS appreciates everything that you do and we hope that this resource will be able to support your family.

Employee/Family Community Resource Links: