Keeping You Safe: Medical Care During the Pandemic

It’s an unsettling time, and it’s not over yet. So it’s understandable to have concerns about bringing your family to a clinic or hospital. But if your child needs medical care like surgery, urgent or emergency care, mental health care, vaccinations or a checkup for a chronic condition, it’s critical that they receive care from a team of pediatric experts.  At Children’s Hospital Colorado, though we can’t control the world outside, we can (and do) control the environment within our walls. We’re here to provide the high-quality healthcare Colorado kids need and deserve – safely.

How do you know it’s safe?

We care for some of the sickest kids in our region. Our medical teams are specifically trained to identify, isolate and treat patients with contagious illnesses like COVID-19. We have the team, expertise, equipment and facilities to keep your child and family safe during an appointment, procedure or hospitalization.

What steps are you taking specifically for the pandemic?

We’re committed to keeping kids and families safe during a trip to the doctor. Here are the specific measures we’ve implemented at each of our locations:

Patients and families
  • Testing patients for COVID-19  before a medical procedure or a stay in the hospital through our in-house lab
  • Requiring face coverings for all visitors and patients in all Children’s Colorado locations
  • Implementing visitation policies to limit the number of people in our locations (We strongly recommend finding childcare for siblings and other children to avoid any delays in your appointment.)
  • Encouraging social distancing by providing guides and signage to keep people at least 6 feet apart
  • Screening all patients and family members for signs of illness, including COVID-19 symptoms, before they enter our facility, including questions about symptoms, potential exposure and a temperature check
  • For outpatient visits, texting patients’ families the day before their visit to inquire about potential symptoms (patients with symptoms of COVID-19 are contacted and screened or re-scheduled, as appropriate)
  • Keeping any patient with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in isolation with a dedicated team of doctors and nurses
Providers and team members
  • Screening every Children’s Colorado team member before they enter the facility for work
  • Requiring personal protective equipment (PPE) for team members working in clinical areas and cloth face coverings for those outside clinical areas
  • Requiring eligible team members to work from home (telecommute) to limit the number of people in our facilities
Places and spaces
  • Adapting and redesigning our physical spaces and waiting rooms to limit interactions and keep patients and visitors at least 6 feet apart
  • Cleaning all kiosks, common areas and patient rooms multiple times per day and between every patient using medical-grade cleaning and sanitizing products
  • Temporarily limiting activities, entertainment and celebrity visits to reduce the number of people and potential interactions within main areas of our facilities
Community measures
  • Providing COVID-19 testing for symptomatic visitors, team members, first responders and community pediatricians to identify those who need to be isolated and to do our part in helping limit community spread
  • Making in-house COVID-19 testing and antibody testing available for community providers and their eligible patients

It is safe to bring your child to our hospital. While we had to adapt when and where we cared for kids throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we never stopped caring for the patients and families who rely on us.

See an updated list of open locations and services.

Can my child do telehealth?

In many cases, yes! Your care team will explain any options for virtual care.

For checkups that may include a physical component like an exam, dressing change, vaccination or diagnostic test, we may need to schedule an in-person visit. In some cases, one part of your follow-up appointment may take place online with a shorter visit in person.

Whether your appointment is in-person or virtual, your child’s doctor will recommend the best option for their individual medical needs and on a case-by-case basis.

Still have questions? You can find more information in the full article, Keeping You Safe: Getting Medical Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic, including an overview of what to expect before, during and after a visit to Children’s Colorado, covering everything from how testing works to whether families should bring their own face coverings. Read it in full at childrenscolorado.org.