Coronavirus: Guidance for Families

Care for coronavirus:

• Virtual visits: Telemedicine is here! In many cases, our board certified pediatricians are available to see your child at home using a camera and microphone. Please call our office to determine if this service is appropriate for your child. Telemedicine is also available for medication checks, mental health visits, and more.
• Visits in our offices: We are temporarily suspending our walk-in clinic. Please call to make an illness-related appointment. Our Woodbury site is now designated for physicals, medication checks, and chronic sick visits (for patients and accompanying adults without symptoms of illness). Our Roseville site is designated for patients with symptoms of illness.
• Medication: There is some concern that ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin/ibuprofen) may worsen coronavirus symptoms. If your child has a fever or pain, we suggest using acetaminophen (Tylenol) at this time.
• Home care for coronavirus symptoms.
• Caring for your family’s mental health.
• Central + Priority Pediatrics Coronavirus handout.

We are taking additional steps in our clinics to keep your family safe:

• Please limit clinic visitors. We ask that only one adult accompany each patient. If possible, please do not bring your child’s siblings to the appointment.
• If your child is scheduled for a well visit and also has symptoms of an illness, we ask that you reschedule your appointment (if parents bringing the child in have illness symptoms, we also ask that you reschedule the appointment).
• Enhanced cleaning efforts are taking place clinic-wide.
• Books, stickers, and crayons have been removed.
• We urge families to practice social distancing, especially in our lobby area (Ideal distancing is 6 feet apart or more).
• We continue to screen all individuals who come to the clinic for symptoms and exposure history.
• All non-illness related visits (well child visits, medication checks, mental health visits) will be scheduled to be at our Woodbury office.
• You may notice increased use of paper forms and handouts. This is a temporary change we are making to reduce the use of “high touch” items such as ipads.
• For patients over the age of 2 as well as caregivers, we encourage the use of homemade masks during your visit (if you have them). We understand that there may be developmental and behavioral challenges with mask-wearing and that this may not be practical for all patients.
• For well children visiting our Woodbury location: all patients will be screened for symptoms of illness by phone 24 hours prior to the appointment as well as at the door when arriving. Anticipate an appointment reminder phone call and screening prior to your visit. this ensures that all patients with illness symptoms are see in Roseville only. Patients will be asked to reschedule if they (or the accompanying adult) have any symptoms of illness. We have streamlined the check-in process which helps patients get roomed more quickly than ever. Greeters at our entrances will be present to expedite the rooming process for your family.

Coronavirus FAQ

What should I do if I suspect my child may have coronavirus?

Please call the clinic or contact us through portal messaging before presenting for a visit. This allows us to ensure you are guided promptly to the correct health facility, if indicated. It also allows us to maintain appropriate social distancing by staggering appointment times. This helps to prevent the spread of virus to you, as well as others in the community by limiting trips to multiple health facilities. As always, if you feel that your child is having trouble breathing or is experiencing an immediate life threatening emergency, call 911.

What is coronavirus?

Coronavirus is a respiratory illness. Symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain are commonly reported symptoms. Symptoms may look similar to other more familiar infections such as colds and influenza.

How do I prevent coronavirus?

• Practice good hand hygiene and keep unwashed hands away from your face. Be sure to wash your hands well with soap and warm water after using the bathroom, after coughing or sneezing, and before making food. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (with 60-90% alcohol) are also a reasonable option. Use a tissue to cover your cough and wipe your nose. Be sure to dispose of tissues promptly.
• Stay home when you are sick. This is one of the most important things we can do to limit the spread in the community.
• Clean surfaces with household cleaners and disinfectants. Coronavirus may be present on commonly touched surfaces such as doorknobs, cell phones, table tops for a period of time.
• This virus spreads with close person to person contact (generally, in under six feet of space). Avoiding contact with those who are known to have or are suspected of having coronavirus makes sense. The CDC has also issued travel recommendations.

Is there a good resource for additional information?

• As local information continues to evolve, you can find updates from Children’s Minnesota here.
• We’ve put together a list of helpful resources for your family.