The Youth Clinic Response to Covid-19 Outbreak

The Youth Clinic (TYC)  remains open and continuing to provide care for children in Northern Colorado. As the spread of COVID-19 (commonly referred to as Coronavirus) continues to progress in Colorado and recommendations for social distancing increase.

“The Youth Clinic continues to work diligently to provide a safe place for children to receive health care and we are taking precautionary measures to ensure that all patients and staff remain safe and healthy,” says Larry Mortensen, Executive CEO of The Youth Clinic. “We are committed to providing a safe place for our families to receive excellent pediatric care for their children.”

Children are still at vastly more risk of chronic illnesses such as RSV, strep throat, influenza, ear infections, injuries, etc. than COVID-19. “We are reminding parents that we are available to provide the treatment needed for such urgent care instances,” says Mortensen. “We believe it is now even more important than ever to provide great care for the children of our community.”

TYC understands that properly diagnosing patients and providing the appropriate treatment will benefit the health of the community. Providing ongoing well-child care and immunizations will also benefit our patients and the health of our community by preventing other communicable diseases. To support this vital effort, TYC will continue to provide evaluation and treatment needed for sick visits and will also continue to provide well-child care to patients at three select locations: Oak Park Drive, East Elizabeth, and MCR during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Additionally, to balance the needs of patients, prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus, and to maintain a healthy environment, TYC has implemented several new measures including, but not limited to:

• Designated “sick” and “well” office locations and staff

  • Effective immediately, the Timnath Office is now a “sick-only” clinic. Patients who are experiencing respiratory or COVID like symptoms will be scheduled at this location.

  • Effective Monday, March 23rd, all Well Care visits initially scheduled at the Timnath Office will be rescheduled to one of the three TYC “well” offices previously listed above (Oak Park Drive, East Elizabeth, and MCR). This decision was made to ensure that we are containing appointments for potential COVID-19 cases to one office (Timnath) to better manage and reduce the spread of germs. All families with well care appointments scheduled at the Timnath Office will be notified

  • Effective Monday, March 23rd, all Colorado University School Of Medicine Specialty Clinics scheduled at the Timnath Office will be held at the Oak Park Drive office location.

• Zero tolerance policy of any staff on-site while sick

• Implementing telemedicine visits for patients needing routine medication evaluations

• Requiring digital registration ahead of all appointments (utilizing the online registration system Phreesia) to minimalize potential spread of the virus by ensuring all high-risk patients are seen with precautions in place, such as immediate staff escort directly to a prepped, appointment-ready room to minimize traffic within facility waiting rooms.

• Additional implementation of a strict and detailed cleaning regimen at all offices, including additional cleaning and disinfecting of all hard surfaces, door handles, front desk and waiting room areas.

• Positioning additional staff to its Phone Nurse Triage line to help field questions from concerned parents and patients with credible information regarding the current state of the virus and precautions to stay healthy.

• Cancellation of all classes and group meetings scheduled at TYC and Pediatric Urgent Care facilities until further notice.

Those seeking more information on the Coronavirus outbreak are encouraged to view The Youth Clinic’s informational video at https://youtu.be/J2iRT8ttS6A. For more information on the above information or upcoming appointments, visit The Youth Clinic website at www.youthclinic.com or call 970-267-9510.

About The Youth Clinic 

The Youth Clinic specializes in the treatment of infants, children and young adults. It has cared for generations of area youth for more than 50 years and takes pride in its role as both partner and resource to parents in the development of their children. The Youth Clinic conveniently offers four office locations on the north and south side of Fort Collins as well as at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland and just off I-25 and Harmony Road in Timnath. For more information about the services and care The Youth Clinic provides and to schedule appointments, visit The Youth Clinic website at www.youthclinic.com or call 970-267-9510.