Prowers Medical Center receives prestigious COPPER verification designating it as a Pediatric Advanced facility – one of only 36 in State of Colorado

Prowers Medical Center ED and ancillary department staff members are shown in the newly-designated pediatric ED room

Prowers Medical Center just added another feather into its already-impressive cap.  In January, the hospital was honored for becoming a COPPER-verified Pediatric Advanced facility. Prowers Medical Center joins an elite group of only 36 such-verified hospitals in the state of Colorado and also holds the distinction of being one of only a few who received the verification on the first attempt and the first along the eastern plains.  The COPPER, or Colorado Pediatric Preparedness for the Emergency Room, program was developed by EMS for Children Colorado with the goal of helping emergency departments achieve a higher level of pediatric readiness.  COPPER designation verifies that hospitals are equipped, trained, and committed to providing the highest level of emergency care for children.  This recognition reflects extensive training, pediatric-specific equipment, quality improvement measures, and collaborations across departments to ensure children receive safe, specialized care when they need it most.

A team at PMC, led by Tianne Woodward, RN, Trauma Nurse Coordinator, and Leslie Day, RN, Emergency Services Manager began the arduous process of working towards the verification.  National Institute of Health studies have shown that children with illness or injuries have 76% and 60% lower chances of mortality, respectively, than those receiving care at facilities without this readiness.  At PMC, one in 4 of its Emergency Room patients were under the age of 18 in 2025, highlighting the need to provide the best care possible. The PMC team began the process by filling out a Pediatric Readiness in the Emergency Department checklist.  This lengthy checklist of nearly 200 questions included asking whether the hospital had a Board-certified physician in Emergency Medicine, if staff have periodic pediatric-specific competency evaluations, whether specific policies are in place for pediatric patients and disaster preparedness, as well as if properly sized equipment was available, and many more items.  The list allowed the team to take a long, honest look at all of its policies and equipment and see what areas they were already strong in and which could use improvement.

Team leaders in the quest for COPPER verification Tianne Woodward, RN (left) and Leslie Day, RN proudly display the plaque designating PMC as COPPER verified

One of the first things the team identified was a need to dedicate a special room in the Emergency Department for these younger patients. Also identified was the need for a “crash cart” designated solely for pediatric use.  Items in the cart had always been available in the ED but weren’t easily-accessible, so having a well-organized cart specifically for children streamlined that care.  This new colorful cart resides in the pediatric-designated room. Another needed change was adjusting scales for these patients to display their weight in kilograms instead of pounds, as pediatric medications are dosed by kilograms, unlike adults who are dosed by poundage. Staff training was implemented to firmly establish thinking in kilograms when dealing with children.  Upon arrival, special wristbands are placed on these patients based on their weight – the wristbands are color-coded with each of the nine colors representing a specific weight range in kgs.  These bands provide a rapid, easily-identifiable safety check for medication dosing. Also in the room are colorful stickers and toys provided to help distract these understandably scared patients, allowing the care team to more easily examine and provide treatment.  Other visual improvements in the department include large colorful flow charts to help quickly assess a patient’s need based on appearance, breathing and circulation as well as weight conversion charts that show pound-to-kilograms, ones showing normal vital sign measurements by age, and a listing of the different emergency codes (designating such things as a fire drill, tornado sighting, bomb threat, cardiac event and more).

Once staff felt that they were ready to be considered as a COPPER facility, they prepared a lengthy power point presentation highlighting Prowers County statistics including PMCs proximity to nearby trauma centers and dedicated children’s hospitals.  It then detailed information about the hospital’s Emergency Department including staffing levels and numbers of patients seen yearly.  Also included was information about the medical/surgical floor and its staffing ratio and average daily census as well as information about the surgical services offered.  The New Beginnings Birth Center information presented included staffing levels with their qualifications and equipment available in that area.  Ancillary Services, such as lab services, radiology services, CT and MRI availability and respiratory care rounded out the introduction to the hospital and what it offers.  The presentation then stated why the hospital was striving to become COPPER verified, stating “Pediatric readiness is rooted in our community to serve every child who comes through our doors with confidence, compassion and excellence.  Caring for children in the emergency setting requires more than good intentions – it requires preparation, consistency, and a culture that prioritizes safety at every level.  COPPER serves as the foundation for how we build and sustain that readiness.  It provides a nationally recognized framework that guides our policies, equipment, education, and continuous improvement in pediatric care.  Through COPPER, pediatric readiness becomes part of who we are – not just something we prepare for occasionally.  Our commitment reflects our belief that every child deserves safe, high-quality emergency care, every time”.  The presentation also included a Performance Improvement Plan for the department, focusing on periodic policy reviews, case reviews and more.  Photos shown during the presentation included those from several training simulations performed late in 2025 and those showing the pediatric successes of the department, including photos of the pediatric scales, crash cart, charts, wrist bands and designated pediatric room and its equipment.

The hospital was notified in January that they received the COPPER verification at the highest tier, Pediatric Advanced and now proudly displays a plaque designating them as such.  The verification will be reviewed tri-annually, though PMC will be continually striving to improve any areas they feel will enhance their pediatric services.  A presentation about the COPPER honor will be given on March 26 at the Lamar Community Building and the community is welcome and invited to attend to learn more about this. We will furnish more information about this closer to that date.

Congratulations on all the hard work involved in this process and thank you, Prowers Medical Center, for your unwavering dedication to improving the health of our community.  This is a well-deserved honor!

By: Barbara Crimond