Children’s Wisconsin is expanding their age range when it comes to accepting patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Medical Officer Doctor Mike Gutzeit says the plan was created back in the spring when the first surge of COVID-19 cases were reported, but it was not needed then. That has changed due to the resurgence of COVID-19 Wisconsin has seen over the past few months.
“We usually treat patients up to about 18 years of age or so with some exemptions,” says Doctor Gutzeit. “But we have expanded that and enhanced that a little bit to allow patients that were in an older age range to be treated at Children’s that had conditions that we felt that we had the confidences and the abilities to care for.”
The age group will be expanded to 26 years old. Those who are transferred will have to be without COVID-19 and have conditions they can treat properly such as diabetes and kidney disease.
“This is a way that we feel is an important support for our colleagues, and those that we work with closely on the adult side to make sure that we have the ability to help them if we can in situations like this,” says Doctor Gutzeit.
Children’s Wisconsin plans to receive their first patients within the next week.