KANSAS CITY, Mo. — To protect families from COVID-19, a Kansas City pediatrician's office is changing the way it does visits.
Pediatric Associates, which has three locations across the metro, has implemented multiple steps to protect kids and families before they enter the building.
Dr. Angela Linz, a pediatrician with the practice, said the first step is to call before coming into the office.
"We want them to call first to discuss what sick symptoms they're having," Dr. Linz said. "If they do need to be seen, we've been asking for only one parent to come up with the child."
When parents arrive to the office, their child will be assessed at the main entrance.
"They usually are stopped by somebody who is screening them for any sort of fever, cough," Dr. Linz said.
If the child is sick, both the child and the parent may be asked to wear a mask.
Families are asked to avoid the elevators. A nurse or another staff member will escort patients directly to the office and to their room, bypassing the waiting area.
"Our main goal is to make sure that our waiting rooms remain empty in order to maintain that social distancing," Dr. Linz said.
Dr. Linz said they are also doing assessments from the car for certain patients. Once this type of visit is scheduled by phone, a parent just needs to call when they arrive to the facility, and a doctor will meet them at their car.
In addition to the steps being taken to keep patients at a distance from each other, Dr. Linz said the practice has divided into having a sick and well unit, where the staff stays on the same unit to avoid transferring any illness they may have come into contact with.
For parents who have children who are not sick, Dr. Linz said it's still safe to bring them in for a visit.
"During this scary time, we feel that kids still need to have their wellness visits, especially when there are vaccines that are given," Dr. Linz said.
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