The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has announced expanded support measures for residents affected by the recent wildfires in Southern California. These actions are part of ongoing recovery efforts following Governor Gavin Newsom’s State of Emergency and Executive Order.
“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.”
CDPH has created a centralized online resource at go.cdph.ca.gov/wildfires to provide wildfire response information. The department is coordinating with local public health and emergency teams to transfer more than 130 long-term care residents to safe locations and continues to assess capacity needs at 120 facilities across the region.
To help healthcare providers respond to increased demand, CDPH issued blanket approval for facilities in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties to add bed capacity and expand services. Facilities can set up additional beds in non-traditional areas and receive guidance on submitting waiver requests for further flexibility during fire-related surges or staffing shortages.
For those who have lost vital records such as birth or marriage certificates due to the fires, CDPH is waiving all replacement fees. Requests can be processed within two to three days, with expanded services available at Disaster Recovery Centers throughout Southern California.
The California Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program remains committed to ensuring continued benefits for eligible families impacted by the fires. WIC participants who have lost cards or food benefits are encouraged to contact their local office or use MyFamily.WIC.ca.gov for assistance or location finding if displaced.
CDPH staff are working alongside local, state, and federal partners in affected areas to address risks related to soil, air, water quality, debris handling, and public health hazards following the fires. The department has activated the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program so people needing prescriptions or medical equipment can locate participating pharmacies online.
Personal protective equipment including N95 respirators has been distributed along with medical staffing resources and comfort kits. Mental health resources are available through CalHOPE Emotional Support Services for those affected by the disaster.
Additional resources include live updates from Los Angeles County Wildfires Resources Page (https://recovery.lacounty.gov/), news from California Office of Emergency Services (https://news.caloes.ca.gov/), wildfire information from CalFire (https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/), air quality updates from California Air Resources Board (https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/wildfire-response), local air condition maps via AirNow.gov (https://www.airnow.gov/), smoke safety tips (https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/protecting-yourself-wildfire-smoke), emotional support services from CalHOPE (https://calhope.org/) as well as information hubs like CA.gov/LAfires (https://ca.gov/lafires).
Covered California recently introduced a special enrollment period until March 8, 2025 for residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties who may need new health coverage options after being displaced by wildfires. Of the estimated 1.3 million uninsured Californians eligible for subsidies through Covered California or Medi-Cal coverage, approximately 356,000 reside in Southern California (Covered California special enrollment announcement).
Resource guides developed by various state agencies offer information on disaster assistance programs tailored for immigrant Californians (Guide to Disaster Assistance), individuals with disabilities (Emergency Preparedness Guide), seniors (Department of Aging Guide), managed healthcare plans (Health Plan Disaster Resource Guide), child care options (mychildcareplan.org), benefit management via BenefitsCal portal (BenefitsCal portal), as well as disaster Q&A from Department of Health Care Services (DHCS Disaster Assistance Q&A).
Individuals and business owners suffering losses from wildfires in Los Angeles County can apply for disaster assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, call 800-621-3362 or use FEMA’s smartphone application; multilingual assistance is available.
