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Outfitted with lab coats, child-sized scrubs and stethoscopes, the students working in the Children’s Hospital Colorado sponsored Medical Center feel the part while working hard to tackle a number of “sicknesses” plaguing the Young AmeriTowne population. The accountant quickly gets to work paying off the bills, because the earlier they finish, the sooner they can begin moonlighting as a medical professional. The health technicians deliver shop specific “wellness-tips,” to each business before Towne opens for business, as a form of harm reduction.
Once Towne opens, the health techs take a wheelchair – the ambulance – to the shop listed on top of a “fate card” which lists the symptoms their patient is faced with. The patient is wheeled over to the Medical Center, where the health tech checks them in using the Patient Information Sheet, taking their height, weight, and blood pressure. Meanwhile, the doctors analyze the symptom cards to determine possible diagnoses; a cough may just be asthma, but paired with a fever and chest pain it could be pneumonia. After proper care is provided and the patient is symptom-free (usually in a matter of minutes) they are magically cured, and can return back to work!
Each patient pays a co-pay of $2.00; the cost of health care is kept low thanks to health insurance premiums each shop pays for their employees. It is one of the three spots in Towne where students practice writing personal checks – no other form of payment is accepted for the co-pay. The Medical Center also generates income through the sale of products, which are the perfect pick-me-up after experiencing an extreme health condition!
Sponsored by the Children’s Hospital of Colorado, the Medical Center at both Cherry Creek and Belmar are equipped with gadgets that authenticate the experience for AmeriTowne citizens, helping ensure everyone leaves Young AmeriTowne feeling 100%.
The doctors and health technicians gain real experience as a Children’s Hospital Medical Center employee:
- Student health technicians receive instruction on how to take a patient’s temperature, blood pressure, and weight;
- Student doctors provide a diagnosis based on patient symptom cards;
- Student accountants keep track of all business expenses and revenue; and
- Students in all shops deposit a paycheck and keep track of spending by balancing their personal checkbooks.
Children’s Hospital is deeply vested in advancing the health and well-being of the next generation. Parent volunteers also have the chance to gain some extra knowledge while vising Young AmeriTowne. In the volunteer station, helpful medical and health tip are posted to help educate parents about importance of staying healthy and seeking medical care when necessary. Branded hand sanitizer stations are also placed around Towne to help keep Young AmeriTowne germ-free!
About Children’s Hospital
When it was founded in 1908 in Denver, Children’s Hospital Colorado set out to be a leader in providing the best healthcare outcomes for children. That calling has consistently made the organization one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation and a place parents across the Rocky Mountain region have come to trust.
The modern-day mission is to improve the health of children through the provision of high-quality coordinated programs of patient care, education, research and advocacy.
In addition to providing the best possible care for kids who need it, Children’s Hospital also works hard to keep kids out of the hospital. Through medical research and advocacy efforts, they are working towards a world where kids are safer and healthier and will one day have less need for a hospital. Learn more at www.childrenscolorado.org.
