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On June 1, Every Child Pediatrics launched an exciting new venture as part of their longstanding commitment to providing high–quality and affordable health care: a new office in Lakewood. This new location at 355 Union Boulevard embodies the organization’s dedication to serving all children, regardless of their family’s insurance status or ability to pay, while meeting a need for pediatric care in the Lakewood area. This day also marked the official change in the organization from Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics to Every Child Pediatrics.
After months of hard work and preparation, the Lakewood office opened at 9 am and welcomed its first patient. Nine-month-old Silas and his mom came in for a wellness check, and their excitement and positive attitude created a perfect start to the day.
Later that morning, two-month-old Jayse Burgos-Pierce and his mom, Brittney Pierce, visited the office for a wellness check. Jayse has been coming to Every Child Pediatrics since he was born, and while he was receiving care at the Thornton location, the Lakewood location is much closer to his dad. Brittney has always trusted the care from Every Child Pediatrics, as she has had positive experiences with past visits. “The doctor was great and walked us through the whole process. Everything was clear and informative,” said Brittney.
Trista Harris, who came in with her children Adrienne, 5, and Hannah, 12, shared the same enthusiasm about the quality care provided by Every Child Pediatrics. The family lives in Golden and the new location is very close and convenient. Beyond the accessibility, they have been lifelong patients because of the excellent care. “I can always get a vaccine or wellness report whenever it is needed,” said Trista. After spending time in the office, Trista also became more familiar with the new name. “I really like it. And they do serve every child, and I really like that the offices are bilingual,” she said.
At just 2 weeks old, Malanie Delgado was also one of Lakewood’s first patients, along with her parents Melody and Nikolas. Though Malanie had her first checkup at the Denver location, the Lakewood office will be ideal as they live just minutes away. They are new to Every Child Pediatrics and chose the practice based on recommendations from other trusted doctors. “We have a really good doctor. We’ve had a great experience so far,” said Melody. While waiting for their appointment, the family was also impressed by the new office and thought it would be an excellent place to watch Malanie grow. “I like it here. It’s very clean and very quiet,” said Nikolas.
Opening day also represented changes and opportunities for the staff, who had previously worked at other medical offices within the organization. The staff worked for months behind the scenes to prepare for the launch and to develop community partnerships and now they are also adjusting and settling into the new environment. They are eager to care for more children, and for Physician Assistant Kaitlin Ehrlich, meeting patients on the first day made the opening even more meaningful.
By the end of the first day, Kaitlin and the support staff had completed 7 appointments and provided care to 10 patients. Families said they appreciate the convenient location in Lakewood, and look forward to continuing care closer to home. With this new office, Every Child Pediatrics will also be able to reach new patients, emphasizing the mission to provide accessible health care to all children. Reflecting back on the day, the opening was filled with enthusiasm and positivity, and patients and staff alike are excited to see what the future holds.
About Every Child Pediatrics: Every Child Pediatrics provides comprehensive, affordable health care to over 22,000 Colorado children, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay, at four stand-alone medical offices and nine school-based health centers in the Denver Metro area, Fort Collins, Roaring Fork Valley and Southwest Colorado. Our experienced professionals focus on the child’s overall well-being, providing high-quality medical care, behavioral health counseling, dental care, nutrition, healthy lifestyle programs and connections to support services such as housing and transportation. As a longstanding nonprofit, we provide unwavering, compassionate care because we believe that every child deserves the best health care and opportunity to succeed.
The organization was established in 1996 as Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, with the mission to provide quality, affordable and accessible health care and support services to children, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. The organization changed its name to Every Child Pediatrics in 2018 to more clearly convey its mission and services. Learn more at www.everychildpediatrics.org.
Amanda Fiske is the Communications Intern at Every Child Pediatrics for Summer 2018. She is a Journalism Major at Colorado State University. Amanda chose Every Child Pediatrics for their commitment to serving the community, and she is excited to share patients’ stories. Amanda can be contacted at afiske@everychildpediatrics.org.
