CONNECTICUT CHILDREN’S ANNOUNCES NEW PEDIATRIC HOTLINE TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY PEDIATRICIAN AND PARENT CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

Connecticut Children’s recognizes that parents and community pediatricians have may have many questions regarding COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). To fill that gap and ensure there is a trusted one-stop resource, Connecticut Children’s is launching the Connecticut Children’s COVID hotline to provide expert advice and information about this quickly evolving pandemic to the public.

“It is important parents get the answers they need regarding their children, when they need it,” said Dr. Juan Salazar, physician-in-chief and Infectious Disease specialist at Connecticut Children’s

Starting Thursday, March 19 at 8AM, the hotline will connect parents and pediatricians to a Connecticut Children’s clinician 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The hotline phone number is 1-833-226-2362.

“The hotline will not only answer general questions about the pediatric impact of the coronavirus, but will also provide direction to families and providers about when patients need to be seen by a specialist or in the hospital or emergency department,” said Dr. Salazar. “It will help provide callers with the latest information and education about how the virus is escalating or shifting.”

In addition to the hotline, Connecticut Children’s has also launched a Coronavirus Information Center on its website. Parents can visit www.connecticutchildrens.org/coronavirus to be connected to answers from frequently asked questions, blogs about how to talk to your child about the outbreak, information about virtual visit options and ways to keep a schedule while schools are closed.

There is also a dedicated section just for community pediatricians and medical professionals that includes webinars, clinical pathways, referral guidelines and information for patients and families.