The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has announced expanded support measures for residents affected by the recent wildfires in Southern California. The actions follow Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of Emergency and Executive Order, aiming to help individuals and communities recover from the disaster.
“Across our entire department, our teams are working toward the shared goal of supporting Californians impacted by these wildfires and easing their pain in whatever ways possible,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer, Dr. Tomás Aragón. “Public health isn’t just about supporting physical health, but also mental health, document recovery, food supply, logistics, recovery safety, and other essential needs.”
To centralize information on wildfire response efforts, CDPH has created an online portal at go.cdph.ca.gov/wildfires.
As part of its response, CDPH has coordinated with local public health and emergency teams to ensure safe transfers of individuals in healthcare facilities. More than 130 long-term care residents have been relocated to secure locations. The department is currently working with 120 facilities across the region to assess capacity and facility needs.
Facilities in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties have received blanket approval from CDPH to add bed capacity and services to their licenses quickly. This includes setting up beds in non-traditional areas for patient care. The department is also providing guidance through All Facilities Letters on how to request additional waivers related to fire or windstorm surges or staffing shortages.
CDPH is waiving all fees for replacing vital records such as birth, death, marriage, and dissolution certificates lost due to the fires. Requests can be processed within two to three days, with expanded services available at Disaster Recovery Centers and Local Assistance Centers throughout Southern California.
The California Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program continues its commitment to serving eligible families who may have lost WIC cards or foods during the fires. Affected participants are encouraged to contact their local WIC office or use MyFamily.WIC.ca.gov for assistance.
CDPH staff are present in impacted areas assessing risks related to soil, air, water quality, and debris handling alongside state and federal partners.
The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program has been activated for those needing help with prescriptions or medical equipment; participating pharmacies can be found online. CDPH has also supplied personal protective equipment such as N95 respirators and coordinated requests for medical staffing resources.
Mental health resources are being shared through CalHOPE Emotional Support Services for both adults and youth affected by the wildfires.
Additional resources—including live updates on evacuation orders—are available via Los Angeles County Wildfires Resources Page (https://recovery.lacounty.gov/wildfire/), California Office of Emergency Services (https://news.caloes.ca.gov/), CAL FIRE (https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/), California Air Resources Board (https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/wildfire-response), AirNow.gov (https://www.airnow.gov/), smoke safety guidance (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/EPO/Pages/Wildfire-Smoke.aspx), CalHOPE’s support programs (https://calhope.org/) as well as a statewide hub at CA.gov/LAfires (https://caloes.ca.gov/la-fires/).
Covered California has introduced a special-enrollment period until March 8, 2025 for Los Angeles and Ventura county residents affected by wildfires. Of the 1.3 million uninsured Californians eligible for subsidies or Medi-Cal coverage through Covered California (https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2024/02/12/special-enrollment-period-available-for-residents-impacted-by-southern-california-wildfires-and-floods/), approximately 356,000 live in Southern California.
Resource guides have been made available in multiple languages by various agencies including CalHHS Emergency Resource Guide (English: https://www.chhs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Emergency-Resource-Guide-English.pdf; Spanish: https://www.chhs.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Emergency-Resource-Guide-Spanish.pdf), Guide to Disaster Assistance for Immigrant Californians (https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/cdss-programs/refugees/disaster-assistance-guide), an emergency toolkit for individuals with disabilities (https://scdd.ca.gov/emergency-preparedness-toolkit-individuals-with-disabilities-and-their-caregivers/) , Department of Aging’s preparedness guide (https://aging.ca.gov/download.ashx?lE0rcNUVqZbGhzrPz6cA7w%3d%3d), Department of Managed Health Care’s disaster resource guide (PDF: https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/AbouttheDMHC/Publications.aspx#disasterresourceguide), Department of Health Care Services Q&A on disaster assistance (https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/disaster-relief/pages/default.aspx) , child care finder at mychildcareplan.org , BenefitsCal portal for food assistance and benefits management at https://benefitscal.com/, as well as FEMA disaster assistance applications via DisasterAssistance.gov , phone at 800-621-3362 , or the FEMA app .
Assistance is provided in over 40 languages.
