What You Will See Next Time You Visit the Doctor

Our community has done a great job to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Now, it’s time to take action so your child can keep as healthy as possible in the months and years ahead.

The experts at Goryeb Children’s Hospital are ready to help you do that, beginning with your child’s next appointment.

“For good reason, many parents and guardians have spent the last month or two keeping their children away from places where they might get the disease,” says Walter Rosenfeld, MD, chair of pediatrics at Goryeb Children’s Hospital and medical director of children’s health for Atlantic Health System. “During this time, we’ve learned a lot and made many changes at Atlantic Health System’s hospitals, so children can get the important care they need. You can have confidence that your child will be safe here.”

Surgery and Other Specialty Treatments

When surgery or other procedures such as endoscopy are needed, your doctor will determine the right timing with you. Dr. Rosenfeld says, “We’ll work with you to treat all health conditions, so they do not become more serious or complicated.”

Well-Child and Specialist Visits

“We’ve also made many, many changes at our doctors’ offices in these past months, all to make sure children and their loved ones are safe when they visit us for care,” he says. For example, some of those visits are now “virtual” or telehealth visits, where you use a phone or computer camera to “meet” with your doctor.

If your doctor needs to see your child in person, you’ll find many other changes as well. For example:

• Parents and patients preregister and update patient information by phone to minimize wait in the waiting room.
• To minimize the time spent in the waiting room, the child and one parent go straight to a private room when they arrive.
• To maintain social distancing in our waiting areas, we have reconfigured our space and separated seats to maintain a six-foot distance.
• If necessary, our staff may ask you to wait in your car until the provider is ready to see you.
• Anyone entering is asked to wear a mask and all of our team members are wearing masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
• All visitors will be screened with questions and a temperature check upon entrance.
• Staff regularly cleans all surfaces, beginning at the front door.

“For both healthy children and those with injuries or medical conditions, our teams have put these steps in place to make it safe for you to get the care you need,” Dr. Rosenfeld says. “Preventive care is critical for infants, children and adolescents, so call your doctor to get regular checkups and immunizations. And when concerns about acute or chronic health issues arise, we want you to have the confidence to know that we’ve got your back!”