Integrative Pediatric Healthcare is dedicated to keeping our staff, clients, and families safe and healthy. With that being said, our office is maintaining our policies in regard to COVID-19 until further notice.

• IPHC will continue to require the usage of face masks (for anyone 2 years+) in our office until further notice.
• Please continue to limit the amount of traffic you bring into the clinic. (1 parent/ guardian per scheduled child)
  • If both parents are fully immunized against COVID-19, both parents are allowed to attend.
  • Siblings and additional family members are still not permitted at this time unless vaccinated and have asked the Np prior to the appointment.
• COVID screenings are still required for ALL IPHC visits.
• Telehealth appointments are required for any COVID-19 testing to be ordered.

For more in-depth information in regard to IPHC’s COVID recommendations, click here. If you have additional questions or concerns, please message the clinic through the patient portal or call us directly at (720)442-3615.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

Our office is able to administer Pfizer COVID vaccines to children 6 months to age 4 years (before 5th birthday). We do plan to have the Moderna COVID vaccine eventually, but due to requirements and limitations on ordering volumes of the vaccine from the health department, we can only use Pfizer for now. Since older children have better access at Pharmacies, Mobile Clinics and other sites, we are prioritizing young children to get vaccinated in our office since their options are far more limited. Thanks for your understanding, we wish we could vaccinate everyone!

If you’d like to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine ages 6 months through 4 years click here

Please be aware, that due to the immunizing requirements from Pfizer we have to use all 10 doses in the vial on the same day or throw them out (noooo!!!!), therefore we have to be very specific with what dates and times we will be offering vaccine clinics. If client’s sign up, please BE ABSOLUTELY sure you can make it, and as we know things come up give us as much advance notice of cancellation. If we do not meet the threshold of patients needed in a day to vaccinate, the vaccine clinic will be rescheduled.

For older kids and if you can’t make it to our clinic we suggest the following resources:

• Children’s Hospital’s link for their mobile clinic scheduling: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/coronavirus-covid19-resources-updates/get-vaccinated/
• Colorado Department of Health’s Mobile vax search tool https://www.mobilevax.us/clinics
• Colorado Department of Health’s List of Vaccine Providers in your County https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g8NX7sc95GCeeJL76Zq0mCG4ApMkV6Gg/view
• CVS vaccine scheduler https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine

For COVID education including what to do when your child is sick or has been exposed, information on COVID disease and data, and COVID immunization information, the CDC website has the most up to date information for children https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

The following resources are also helpful:

• AAP’s Healthy Children Website for COVID info https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/default.aspx
• KidsHealth from Nemours Section on COVID: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus.html
• Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Parent’s Info on COVID https://www.childrenscolorado.org/conditions-and-advice/coronavirus-covid19-resources-updates/

IPHCs Suggestions to Consider if Your Child Tests Positive for COVID

Disclaimer: if this is a life or limb threatening emergency hang up and dial 911. This document is intended to provide general medical advice provided by our NPs. It is not intended to diagnose or treat.

Children, like adults, manifest the COVID virus in a myriad of ways including fever, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, congestion, cough, and rash in any combination.  It is important that you continually assess  your child’s expression of COVID and treat those symptoms according to severity. It is also important to stay calm, and only seek medical attention in ERs if needed so we reduce the risk of exposure to other people and health care providers which may be unnecessary.

• STAY HOME and isolate symptomatic or infected people from other family members who are not symptomatic (if able) and mask if able. Follow the CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantine which often evolve and change. This Link is for kids in school or daycare.
  Antipyretics (acetaminophen [Tylenol, generic forms], ibuprofen [motrin, advil, generic forms] are recommended to treat both body aches and fever.  Remember that a fever is a sign that your child’s body is fighting off the virus and you may want to treat fevers above 102 and/or lower temperatures if he/she is really uncomfortable.  There is no fever that is harmful (unless >107 degrees) unless your child is exhibiting more severe symptoms as well.  However, your child may be more uncomfortable and prone to dehydration with a higher fever which is a good reason to treat the fever.
• Gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, diarrhea).  You will want to back off/stop solids and initially offer small volumes of pedialyte or electrolyte fluids with glucose to rehydrate until the vomiting stops (see oral rehydration below).  You should report vomiting if you find that your child is not keeping fluids down AND has decreased production of urine (less than one urination or wet diaper every 6-8 hours), not making tears, not making saliva or in babies who have a very sunken soft spot. Remember fever can also contribute to dehydration if you do not encourage your child to take fluids. Oral Rehydration: If your child is vomiting you start with small amounts (this could be as little as a tablespoon every 15 minutes) and work your way up.  Diarrhea may last several days and you will want to protect the skin with barrier cream.  For older children, hydration is also important and electrolyte solutions are best tolerated in SMALL AMOUNTS and slow progress with bone/chicken broth, other clear liquids, constipating solids (banana, rice, applesauce, cooked carrots).  Once your child is feeling better you can progress to a bland diet. Parents often refeed or push solids when children are vomiting which can prolong the irritation to the stomach. It’s OK to use glucose containing fluids and broths and then refeed only after vomiting has stopped for 8-10 hours.
• Fatigue is also another expression of COVID.  You may find that your child sleeps more and that is ok, just make sure you are also keeping your child hydrated. Fatigue is a helpful symptom of the immune system which encourages rest; it is not medically the same as lethargy which is inability to wake a child up or keep them awake even with intense stimulation.
• Sore throat.  Many of the older children complain of really sore throats.  Again as a symptom you can treat with Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen. Older children can sip tea, cool fluids, gargle salt water and use lozenges.
• Cough and congestion. There is no magic bullet to make a cough stop. You can run a humidifier, use steamy showers, prop the child upright, use honey/lemon (if over a year), lozenges if age appropriate. Croupy barky coughs are common as are deep wet coughs. Allow up to 14 days for a cough to improve, up to 4 weeks in some cases if it is improving. If a cough is causing gagging, night time wakeup-again normal-but if it is associated with increased work of breathing, noisy breathing, or audible wheezing or stridor please contact a health-care provider.
• The cardinal signs that your child is worsening:  increased respiratory rate (although faster breathing is normal with fever), pallor (child is very pale and less responsive), and increased work of breathing, poor color, inability to keep down fluids AND no urine X 10 hours, brown urine, headache that is SEVERE and not alleviated with appropriate pain management and fluids, blistering rash in mucous membranes, inability to swallow, or actual lethargy.  In these instances, you can contact staff @ IPHC for triage OR you can take your child to the nearest urgent care/ER for evaluation. It is important that parents not take children to the ER if they are exhibiting mild symptoms, but if you are unsure always ask a provider.
• Use of herbs, homeopathics, and experimental treatments are not well understood in COVID in pediatrics and our providers do not have any specific guidance. It is important to know that COVID is more notable for Cytokine Storms which is a specific type of immune response where the immune system can be more hyperactive, therefore we do not globally advise Elderberry or other herbal preparations until they are better understood with COVID.
• Vitamin D3 is helpful with any respiratory illness to replenish stores and support the immune system, zinc and vitamin C are generally considered safe and also may help the immune system. Other preparations of herbal teas with medicinal properties for other illnesses may be safe, but parents are encouraged to proceed with caution and ask a provider if in doubt.

In summary,

1. If your child is doing poorly make sure you have been treated with pain or fever medication and observed for response
2. Fluids, fluids, fluids, rest, rest, rest
3. Stay home and isolate according to guidelines
4. Treat the symptoms that you can, and allow the immune system time to do its job. While some recover quickly, it is not uncommon to see lingering symptoms up to 4+ weeks
5. If your child has SEVERE symptoms and the office is open, call and ask to speak to an NP right away, or after hours can go to ER.
6. If your child has mild symptoms read this again and monitor from home, consider a telehealth if worsening.
7. If your child has moderate symptoms please reach out for a telehealth visit or call the office.