Pediatric Hospitals Are Getting Slammed with COVID-19; Can Urgent Care Help?

As readers of JUCM News know, it appeared early in the COVID-19 pandemic that children were either at reduced risk for COVID-19 compared with adults or less likely to become severely ill and die from the virus. And, in fact, the virus has proven less hazardous for younger patients compared with adults. If new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are any indication, however, the Delta variant is another story altogether. The CDC just reported that the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 increased 500% compared with early July—making it likely, if not certain, that hospitals find it increasingly difficult to manage that ever-increasing patient population while maintaining their ability to care for the more typical presentations to the pediatric emergency room. The CDC just reported that the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 increased 500% compared with early July—making it likely, if not certain, that hospitals will find it increasingly difficult to manage that ever-increasing patient population while maintaining their ability to care for the more typical presentations to the pediatric emergency room. Pediatric urgent care centers (as well as all-purpose urgent care centers) are fully capable of handling many complaints that unnecessarily turn up in the ED. It’s likely children would be seen more quickly and at a lower cost, to boot. If you don’t have a reciprocal referral relationship with the local healthcare system when it comes to seeing kids, this is the time to start one—for the good of them, your community and your business.If you don’t have a reciprocal referral relationship with the local healthcare system when it comes to seeing kids, this is the time to start one—for the good of them, your community, and your business.