Candlewood Valley Pediatrics Blog:  COVID – changing the way care is delivered

Candlewood Valley Pediatrics Blog:  COVID – changing the way care is delivered

3/20/2020

 

Welcome to our first blog post.  Candlewood Valley Pediatrics is committed to our patients especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  The recommendations and guidelines we receive literally change hour by hour.  Please, be patient with us as we, in addition to our entire network, are adapting to these uncertain times.  We want to continue to provide exceptional care while keeping everyone as safe as we can in regards to COVID-19.  We also understand that many of our patients and families are extremely nervous and concerned.  Therefore, we need to be especially patient.  Below is a list of how we intend to care for our patients locally, how we will work within our established networks to serve you, and how we are advocating on a state and federal level for our patients.

Candlewood Valley Pediatrics:

• Provide Telemedicine visits to care for patients. In these unusual times Pediatricians across the state will attempt to treat more conditions via Telemedicine such as strept throat, ear infection, fever, upper respiratory infections, etc.
• Keep all children with upper respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, sore throats, fever out of our office. It is reassuring that most children will do very well with COVID -19.  So well that a slight runny nose may be their only symptom.  Therefore, we want to keep those children out of our office, out of the emergency room, and out of walk-in clinics.  Please, contact us for a Telemedicine visit instead.
• Maintain well child visit blocks and sick child blocks separate from each other to allow for appropriate cleaning of our office.
• Continue with well child visits. Per the American Academy of Pediatric recommendations, we need to keep our vaccine rates high so we do not trade one pandemic for another.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Danbury/New Milford Hospitals

• Webinars to keep medical professionals up to date.
• Drive thru testing established for certain high-risk patients (testing is still in short supply so we have been given an algorithm by Danbury Hospital on who to test). If you think you need testing set up a Telemedicine appointment. The process of testing increases the risk of transfer and that is why our state has set up drive thru testing.
• Established a Pediatric COVID-19 Hotline: call 1-833-226-2362.
• Coordination between CVP and sub specialists at the Children’s Hospital to continue and care for our most vulnerable patients without exposing them to COVID-19.
• CCMC is our direct link with the State of CT Public Health Department. They have advocated for us to obtain more Personal Protection Devices to better serve you.  Both CVP and the hospitals are in very short supply – Primary Care Physicians, Emergency Physicians and our Intensive Care Physicians are on the front line of this war on COVID-19 and without the ability to protect ourselves we will be unable to help others.  This is a real and dire problem.
• Ensured Telemedicine appointments will be covered by all CT Husky plans and commercial insurers.

American Academy of Pediatrics

• Enable telehealth services for all patientsby ensuring that Medicaid, CHIP and commercial payors cover care via video, phone, and email, to reach patients where they are – including in their homes.
• Support pediatricians’ ability to care for children whether they are sick or well. That includes vaccines for preventable infectious diseases, so we don’t have outbreaks of other illnesses.
• Take swift action to make more personal protective equipment available,including for ambulatory care providers.
• Ensure that any coronavirus vaccine or therapeutic isadequately tested and approved for use in children. 

Most importantly, remember it has been shown that children handle this infection extremely well.  There has not been a single reported death of a child in China or the United States that we are aware of from COVID-19.  However, our children will be the vector that will infect the elderly and more vulnerable population.  That is why we urge you to stay home and avoid all public places when your child has any runny nose, cough, sore throat, and/or fever.  Self-quarantine is our most effective weapon. 

 

Dr. F