AdventHealth Porter has achieved the Pediatric Advanced COPPER designation for its Emergency Department, marking a significant step in pediatric emergency care readiness. The Colorado Pediatric Preparedness for the Emergency Room (COPPER) program is a voluntary state-level initiative that recognizes hospitals equipped and trained to treat pediatric patients effectively.
The importance of this recognition is underscored by the fact that most children in Colorado—about 70%—receive emergency care at general emergency departments rather than specialized children’s hospitals. Many of these departments see fewer than 15 pediatric patients daily, highlighting the need for preparedness.
Kristin Miller, Director of Nursing Services, said, “Earning the COPPER designation signals that families can trust AdventHealth Porter Emergency Department to provide thoughtful, prepared, and high-quality emergency care for children. Because most children receive emergency care in general EDs, COPPER is essential to ensuring children in our community receive safe, evidence-based care when they need it most.”
At AdventHealth Porter, the COPPER designation means staff are trained specifically in pediatric emergency care and have access to appropriate equipment and medications. Protocols are also in place to address both physical and emotional needs unique to children.
Miller added, “COPPER enhances the experience for children by ensuring care is both medically excellent and emotionally supportive. Our teams use age-appropriate communication, prioritize pain management, and work to reduce fear and delays, offering peace of mind to parents during stressful moments.”
Achieving this status required over a year of coordinated effort across multiple hospital departments. Amanda Petri (RN), Nurse Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC), Dr. Nicholas Rosen (Physician PECC), and Jen Jones (Meridian’s Lead Nurse PECC) led the initiative with support from various disciplines including respiratory therapy, pharmacy, trauma services, radiology, education staff, safety personnel, nursing providers, supply chain management, and emergency preparedness teams.
Brittney Johnson, Clinical Nurse Manager for the Emergency Department stated: “The Porter ED team has been intentionally focusing on pediatric education since January. We ensured pediatric education occurred alongside adult education while also strengthening policies, supplies, peer review of pediatric cases, and pediatric surge and disaster plans.” She continued: “This designation truly reflects our culture of collaboration. Experts from across the hospital worked together to ensure Porter is ready to care for even our youngest patients.”
Johnson noted measurable improvements since beginning their pursuit of COPPER status: “Research shows that emergency departments with pediatric readiness scores above 87 are associated with a 76% lower mortality rate for medically ill children and a 60% lower mortality rate for traumatically injured children,” she explained. “When Porter began this journey, our score was 60 – below the national median. Today we’ve achieved a 94 out of 100 firmly establishing Porter as pediatric ready.” She credited nurse-led change as key: “Amanda’s work over the past year and a half truly demonstrates our service standards – owning it loving me keeping me safe and making it easy for others to do the same,” Johnson said. “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished.”
With this new designation EMS providers will now prioritize transporting young patients to COPPER-designated facilities like AdventHealth Porter further enhancing access to quality pediatric emergency services. The hospital also participates in ongoing quality initiatives such as NPRQI which uses real-time data analysis aimed at improving outcomes.
AdventHealth Orlando—a separate facility located in Orlando Florida—was founded in 1908; it serves as both a training hospital and features its own dedicated pediatric ward https://www.adventhealth.com/hospital/adventhealth-orlando/about-us.
This achievement aligns with AdventHealth Porter’s mission to deliver comprehensive compassionate health services especially focused on vulnerable populations such as children.
