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5th graders gain real-life experience in the Children’s Hospital Colorado Medical Center
Step foot into the 176 square-foot Medical Center in Young AmeriTowne Denver, and you’ll quickly realize that details matter! From the business card holders that replicate radio flyer wagons to the colorful, kid-friendly reference books on the shelves, proud sponsor Children’s Hospital Colorado ensures that this shop is just like a real hospital.
The first step of the health-care process in Young AmeriTowne is just like any hospital: intake. No one really wants to get “sick” while they’re visiting Young AmeriTowne. So, in order to have patients to treat, Medical Center employees randomly hand out sick cards to Towne citizens who then are taken to the hospital in by ambulance (a wheelchair). Health Technicians record a patient’s symptoms and take their vitals—height, weight, temperature, and blood pressure.
Next, a Doctor looks up a patient’s symptoms on a computer and selects a diagnosis. While they wait, patients can read a magazine or book or even put together a life-size model of the human brain. After determining a diagnosis and explaining the ailment to the patient, the Doctor provides care: braces and bandages for broken bones, for example.
When the patient has paid a $2.00 co-pay, he or she is free to return to work. The cost of medical care is offset by health insurance, which is provided by the Medical Center and required of all 17 AmeriTowne businesses.
All of these details matter because they create a real-life work environment for the more than 31,000 youth who participate in Young AmeriTowne every year. After her visit to AmeriTowne with Achieve Academy, Gabby writes, “At the end of the day you’ll want to go back. I feel great about going into the real world.” Thank you to Children’s Hospital Colorado for making Gabby, and so many others, ready for the real world!
