Helping pediatric patients feel comfortable in a doctor’s office can be a challenge, but that was exactly the goal in designing the new Eye Clinic at Children’s Colorado Outpatient Care at Fitzsimons Village Pavilion in Aurora.
Brightly painted walls and animal-coded hallways make the clinic a place that isn’t so daunting for young patients and their families. Village Pavilion Eye Clinic, which officially opened its doors March 31, is an expansion from the main pediatric eye clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
“This is a playful space. It should be fun to come and see our staff,” says Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology Emily McCourt, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
“We’re excited to welcome patients into an environment that is low stress and cheerful,” adds McCourt, who affectionately calls the clinic the “eye castle.”
The expansion has been on the minds of CU eye doctors for years, especially as the need for pediatric ophthalmology services have grown over the years.
“We had this vision of creating a separate pediatric eye experience, where we could be connected to the main hospital and all the resources of the big hospital, but have a more intimate setting for patients who need their eyes examined,” says McCourt, who timed her walk from the main clinic to the Village Pavilion Eye Clinic, just across East Colfax Ave. from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, at just six minutes.
Like the main Children’s Hospital Colorado eye clinic, the exam chairs at the Village Pavilion Eye Clinic are smaller, making them a better fit for kids, and there are kid-friendly touches throughout the space. Longer-than-normal exam rooms help physicians properly diagnose and measure strabismus, a misalignment of the eyes, in pediatric patients.
“Providing pediatric eye care in a pediatric setting is important for the comfort of the patient, and it really allows us to get a better exam,” McCourt, the Ponzio Family Chair for Pediatric Ophthalmology, says. “If the patient is comfortable, they like the space, and they're having fun, then we're able to get more information, and we're better at giving an accurate diagnoses and treatment plans.”
A view of the inside of the new Eye Clinic at Children’s Colorado Outpatient Care at Fitzsimons Village Pavilion in Aurora. Photos courtesy of Children's Hospital Colorado.
The space, being away from the main hospital, can also be more comforting to young patients who have had to undergo surgery and may find returning to that office overwhelming.
Lauren McCarroll says this is a perk of the new pavilion for her five-year-old son Ethan, who was diagnosed with cataracts at two months old and regularly visits with McCourt and other eye providers at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
“It’s easier for kids and makes it more fun for them,” says McCarroll. “It makes those routine visits feel less scary, which also helps parents.”
Today, more than a dozen CU ophthalmologists and optometrists provide critical care and specialty expertise to patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
“This expansion is a great opportunity for all my colleagues. I have the world’s best team, and they work so well together. Their level of collaboration is amazing, so having a bigger space where we all see each other and work together will only enhance that,” McCourt says.
Over the years, CU ophthalmologists and optometrists have added several pediatric specialty-focused clinics, including glaucoma and uveitis, to cater to young patients who have different needs than adults.
The Village Pavilion Eye Clinic adds 12 exam rooms, sometimes called lanes, to the mix, allowing dozens more patients to be seen each day. Because pediatric eye visits can take longer than traditional adult visits, McCourt says the added space is vital to offering individualized attention while accommodating the growing number of patients.
“We provide the same level of care to kids as we do adults,” McCourt says.
At the main eye clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado, clinicians will still see patients for some appointments, host most specialty clinics, tend to high-risk cases, and perform surgeries.
Opportunities for research will also grow with the new space.
“Clinical research is an important part of our mission, and having state of the art imaging equipment in a pediatric space is unique,” McCourt says. “We’ve had this at our main clinic and now we can do even more of it at the Village Pavilion Eye Clinic. With that, we hope to improve the lives of our patients and future patients, too.”
Eye Clinic at Children’s Colorado Outpatient Care at Fitzsimons Village Pavilion is located at 13100 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, CO 80011 on the third floor.