Same-day COVID-19 vaccines now available on a limited basis each day for eligible Seattle Children’s inpatients, ambulatory patients who are visiting the hospital for an appointment with their specialist and caregivers who are accompanying ambulatory patients to a same-day appointment.
Same-day appointments are dependent on vaccine availability and clinic capacity each day. We cannot guarantee them or schedule in advance. Read full post »
On March 17, Washington moved to the next phase of COVID-19 vaccination (Phase 1B, Tier 2), which means people who are 16 years and older with certain chronic conditions or disabilities are now eligible to receive the vaccine. Seattle Children’s will continue to serve as a community vaccination site and will offer vaccines through our public portal to all eligible members of the public, as supplies permit.
We are contacting our current patients ages 16 to 21 with certain chronic conditions or disabilities who meet the DOH vaccine eligibility criteria to offer a vaccine appointment. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s is vaccinating individuals who are eligible under Washington state’s Phase 1-A, priority groups 1 and 2, including:
- All workers at risk in healthcare settings except those who belong to another health system that is offering the vaccine.
- Community members who are eligible under state guidelines, when vaccine supplies permit.
Testing update
As of March 3, Seattle Children’s has tested 26,879 patients. 734 have tested positive or inconclusive, for a positivity rate of 2.7%. Approximately half of all positive patients are asymptomptic.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open shows that providing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as part of a collaborative care model for youth who have experienced persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) offers a promising treatment to alleviate symptoms and improve functioning.
Every year, an estimated 1.1 to 1.9 million youth suffer a sports-related concussion. Between 20% and 30% of those experience symptoms that last more than 30 days, including mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety. Yet there is a lack of high-quality evidence to guide best practices for the treatment of PPCS in the pediatric population. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s is currently in Phase 1-A of vaccine distribution, priority group 2. This means Seattle Children’s active community medical staff are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Seattle Children’s. We will let you when the vaccine is available to a wider group of community providers. Please note that community providers who are part of another health system should expect to get their vaccine with their home system rather than Seattle Children’s. Read full post »
To improve support for our patients and their families/caregivers, while ensuring the highest level of safety for everyone, starting Thursday, Jan. 28, Seattle Children’s began allowing up to two caregivers in inpatient settings. Previously the limit was one caregiver. In our outpatient settings, the caregiver limit remains one.
Please note:
- Patients in single rooms can have up to two caregivers in their room around the clock.
- Patients in double rooms can have up to two caregivers in their room during visiting hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and one caregiver overnight.
- Patients in ambulatory, urgent care and surgical settings may have one caregiver with them.
- Patients in the Emergency Department may have up to two caregivers with them.
Washington state’s vaccination rates in 2020 fell an alarming 37% for 11- and 12-year-olds and 35% for 13- to 17-year-olds. It is more important than ever to ensure youth are receiving the preventive care they need.
Clinics in King County are invited to boost their vaccination rates by participating in the WA-CHIP learning collaborative. Over a nine-month period, starting in March 2021, clinics will identify opportunities to increase adolescent vaccinations, implement improvements, receive regular data and coaching and participate in a community of clinics working toward the same goals. Read full post »
Dr. Danielle Zerr is medical director of infection prevention at Seattle Children’s.
Is vaccination underway at Seattle Children’s?
Dr. Zerr: Yes. We are pleased to say that Seattle Children’s began vaccinating its workforce for COVID-19 on Dec. 16, 2020. To date, we have received four shipments of the Pfizer vaccine (975 doses each) . We expect the vaccine supply allocated to us by the Washington State Department of Health to arrive in weekly shipments. Like other healthcare systems in Washington, Seattle Children’s has limited information at this time about the types and quantities of vaccines we will receive in the near future. As we learn more, we will share.
We rely on information from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and state and local public health authorities to guide our decisions on safe and equitable distribution of our vaccine supply. Read full post »
Patient Caregiver Policies in the Hospital
Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in our region and nationally, Seattle Children’s is returning to stricter guidelines regarding visitors in order to protect the health and safety of our patients, families and workforce.
Patients in both our inpatient and ambulatory settings will only be allowed a single caregiver effective Monday, Nov. 30.
Inpatient care visitor policy update:
- All families may identify two caregivers for their child’s inpatient stay.
- Only one caregiver may be at the bedside at a time.
- The two caregivers will remain the primary caregivers for the entirety of the hospitalization.
- The following exceptions will continue to apply:
- Caregivers of patients at the end of life may request an exception
- Patients whose caregivers are receiving discharge teaching
- Siblings who are younger than 12 months of age and who are breastfeeding may remain in a room with the breastfeeding parent if the patient is in standard precautions
Read full post »
Research shows that COVID-19 is taking the greatest mental health toll on children and teens ages 11 to 17. Demand for counseling and treatment for this age group is high and growing. Washington’s Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens receives about 20 calls a day from families needing help, and the wait time to be connected to an available provider in their community is currently about 9 weeks. The service is adding more staff in January and hopes to bring wait times down to the two-week level of this summer.
“We recommend families not be daunted by the current wait and call us right away to start the process,” says Ana Clark, manager of the Partnership Access Line program (PAL). “We provide education over the phone and can get them started on the right track. Some families are able to find providers on their own after our initial guidance and recommendations. And for those families who need a little more help, they will be added to our wait list and helped as soon as we are able. Our goal is to help families as quickly as possible.” Read full post »
