Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in our region and nationally, Seattle Children’s needs to return to more strict guidelines regarding visitors in order to protect the health and safety of our patients, families and workforce.
Patients in both our inpatient and ambulatory setting 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 breast-feeding parent if the patient is in standard precautions
Note: Pre-admission visitor exception requests should only be made during the 48-hour pre-procedure call, and only when truly exceptional circumstances exist. If truly exceptional circumstances are identified, direct patient families to request the exception during the 48-hour pre-procedure call, but be clear that their request may not be approved.
We will communicate these changes to patients and families on Monday, Nov. 30. Families will have 72 hours to create a plan to transition to a single caregiver in the hospital/at the bedside.
We must continue evaluating and adjusting our practices to maintain the safety of our patients, families and workforce throughout this rapidly changing pandemic. The visitor policy is subject to change quickly if the pandemic continues to worsen and if statewide restrictions are enacted.
COVID-19 Testing Update as of Nov. 25 at Noon
- Patients tested to date: 18,284. Positive (detected plus inconclusive): 346. Four patients are in the hospital; others are recovering at home.
- Workforce members tested to date: 2,846. Positive (detected plus inconclusive): 98.
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Erika Miller is the clinical practice manager of Psychiatry Consult Services and Emergency Department Mental Health, Seattle Children’s. Kashi Arora is the mental and behavioral health project manager with Community Health, Seattle Children’s. Sophie King is the supervisor of program operations for triage and the Crisis Care Clinic, Seattle Children’s.
Q: What mental health services does Seattle Children’s offer?
A: We offer short-term, outpatient mental health services through our Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine (PBM) team. We start with a diagnostic evaluation to determine the patient’s needs and the evidence-based interventions recommended for these needs. We also discuss with families where it would be most helpful to receive care (either at Seattle Children’s or in the community).
In order to provide equitable and efficient care, many of our treatment programs operate using a stepped care model. They begin with a group or class for patients/caregivers, followed by short-term individual therapy as needed. Capacity for individual therapy is very limited. For youth pursuing medication, we offer a brief consultation model. We do not provide long-term therapy or medication management. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s is providing influenza vaccinations to inpatients and outpatients during their scheduled visits. Seattle Children’s is also offering the vaccination to Emergency Department and Urgent Care patients. All vaccinations given to patients are documented in the Child Profile Immunization Registry. Patients are screened for eligibility.
We are also offering flu shot vouchers to patients’ family members and household contacts age 3 and older during patient visits and stays. The vouchers can be used at any Bartell Drugs with no out-of-pocket cost (Bartell will bill family members’ insurance, if available, and charge any remaining balance to Seattle Children’s). Family members and household contacts 6 months to 35 months old will need to get their flu vaccine at their primary care provider’s office. Read full post »
As of Nov. 3, Seattle Children’s had tested 16,034 children. 250 were positive, for a positivity rate of 1.6%; most had symptoms but 39% were asymptomatic.
Testing sites and capacity: We offer testing for children and teens through age 17 at our four Urgent Care Clinics and at the Sand Point Learning Center drive-through near the hospital. We consistently have availability at all locations; our best capacity is usually at the Sand Point Learning Center and Seattle Urgent Care. Federal Way Urgent Care tends to fill up fastest.
Results: We have extended our COVID-19 test result window to 24 to 48 hours instead of one day due to higher demand. If you do not receive your patient’s results within the time expected, please call our clinical lab for assistance at 206-987-2102.
No walk-up COVID-19 testing: Referrals are required for COVID-19 testing at all Seattle Children’s testing sites; appointments are also required. After you submit an order, please ask the family to call us at 206-987-2100 to schedule their appointment at one of our five testing locations. Read full post »
By Randall Bly, MD
Summary:
A 6-year-old male was referred to Seattle Children’s by his primary care provider (PCP) for an evaluation of meningoencephalocele and probable cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. The patient received state-of-the-art care at Seattle Children’s from a multidisciplinary care team of physicians and surgeons from the Cranial Base Program, which led to a carefully planned, complex surgery that repaired the leak and resolved his accompanying health problems.
Patient History:
TB is a 6-year old male with a complex medical history, including repairs of his cleft lip and palate from an outside hospital, meningoencephalocele, recurrent meningitis requiring multiple hospital admissions, conductive hearing loss and velopharyngeal insufficiency. His PCP referred him to Seattle Children’s for suspected CSF leak due to his clear nasal drainage, headaches and recurrent meningitis. His episodes of meningitis had been challenging to treat, requiring multiple days of IV antibiotics. Read full post »
Providing Health Equity in Pediatric Care
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6 to 7 p.m. (Webex)
Category II CME credit
Speaker: Dr. Cora Breuner
RSVP by Nov. 16 to Kenton.mcallister@seattlechildrens.org
Learning Objectives:
- How to evaluate your current level of health equity and racism within your practice (inner bias/implicit bias)
- How to advocate and promote equitable care
- Strategies to create health equities and better long-term outcomes
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A study led by Melissa Melough of Seattle Children’s Research Institute sheds light on the benefits of vitamin D intake by pregnant women to their child’s brain development as well as the significantly higher risk of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women of color. Vitamin D deficiency is common among the general population but Black women are at higher risk. “I hope our work brings greater awareness to this problem, shows the long-lasting implications of prenatal vitamin D for the child and their neurocognitive development, and highlights that there are certain groups providers should be paying closer attention to,” says Melough.
Read “Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy Linked with Child IQ, Study Shows Disparities Among Black Women,” On the Pulse, Nov. 2, 2020.
Provider Grand Rounds:
View full schedule and Webex/dial-in information. Topics and speakers may change. Call 206-987-5379 for updates or check our calendar online.
Nov. 5: One Million Square Miles: The Past, Present, and Future of Providing Cardiac Care to the Children of the WWAMI Region. Josh Weldin, MD, assistant professor, Pediatrics, UW; director, Cardiology Regional Consultation Program, Seattle Children’s.
Nov. 12: Addressing Racial Inequities in Our Own Community. Shaquita Bell, MD,
clinical associate professor, Pediatrics, UW; medical director, The Center for Diversity and Health Equity, Seattle Children’s; Anisa Ibrahim, MD, assistant professor of Pediatrics, UW; pediatric physician, Harborview Medical Center; Fabiola Movius, MD, MPH, pediatric physician, Sea Mar Community Health Centers; Christina Pease, MD, pediatric physician, Sea Mar Community Health Centers. Read full post »
If your patient visited Seattle Children’s between August 17 and October 3, their patient information – including labs, notes and other results – will not be visible in Epic until December 18. This includes patients who visited Seattle Children’s prior to August 17 but whose lab or other test results were not resulted until the above timeframe.
Please use PHIN to view patient information for that period. Use your previous PHIN username/password, not your new EpicCare Link username/password. PHIN will be accessible for this purpose until December 31, 2020.
- If you need help accessing patient information quickly, or if you don’t have a PHIN or EpicCare Link account to access patient information, please call our Health Information Management office at 206-987-2173 for assistance. The Health Information Management office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Outside of business hours, if it is urgent, please call the Seattle Children’s operator at 206-987-2000 to be routed to the appropriate department.
- If you need help accessing or using EpicCare Link, visit our Technical Support page or call our EpicCare Link Help Desk at 206-987-4444. The helpline is open 24/7.
Referral Backlog update: The backlog in referrals we experienced after our transition to Epic in October has been eliminated. We are no longer advising providers to directly call the Clinical Intake Nurse Line when sending in an urgent referral.
Thank you for your continued patience and partnership as we transition to Epic.
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