L.A. Care Health Plan rolls out robocall campaign to stop measles

Infectious disease experts report that measles can show up even 21 days after exposure, which means the outbreak is still active. That's why a large health care provider is launching a new program to help stop the spread of measles.

At the call center of the largest publicly operated health plan in the nation, calls about measles keep coming in. Brooke Thompson, a provider service representative, says many of them are from new parents in their 20s and 30s who've never experienced a measles scare.

"For me myself, I'm a young woman and measles is not something that I am very familiar with until now," she said. "It wasn't something that I thought I could get."

MORE: How can you tell if you're protected against the measles?

Starting Wednesday, Dr. Richard Seidman, Chief Medical Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan, said each of their members will be getting an important call.

"We are about to launch a robocall campaign," he said.

The message contains information about what to do if you think you have measles, where to go and how to protect yourself.

"I let them know if they haven't gotten vaccinated, to get vaccinated. Because, once again, it is something that we cover. It wouldn't be at a cost to the member," Thompson said.

"Our members can also get immunizations at participating pharmacies," Seidman said. "Many pharmacies will provide immunizations for adults."

Measles outbreak in Southern California: Everything you need to know

The focus may be on measles, but Seidman says this outbreak is also a good opportunity to inform adults to get immunized against pneumonia, shingles, whooping cough and several other vaccine preventable conditions.

"There's quite a few. It's a long list. There's 10-plus diseases," Seidman said.

As for these recent measles cases, experts say we won't be out of the woods until three weeks after the last exposure. So while we are tired of robocalls, this is one you may to want to hear.

"I apologize for filling your phone with yet another robocall," Seidman said. "But I thought that this one was worth it because this one could save your life or a loved one's life."