Four AdventHealth Rocky Mountain Region Emergency Departments Achieve Pediatric Advanced COPPER Recognition

AdventHealth Littleton, Parker, and Castle Rock joined Avista in earning Pediatric Advanced COPPER verification through the Colorado Pediatric Preparedness for the Emergency Room (COPPER) program, placing their emergency departments among only 20 hospitals in Colorado and the top 10% nationwide for pediatric readiness.

Currently, four of the five AdventHealth Rocky Mountain Region (RMR) hospital emergency departments, Avista, Castle Rock, Littleton, and Parker, hold this verification, with additional applications in progress.

The COPPER program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate excellence in pediatric emergency care through strong leadership, specialized training, and standardized systems and equipment, ensuring that children receive safe, high-quality care close to home.

“Our goal has always been to make sure families have access to the highest standard of emergency care for their children, no matter which AdventHealth location they visit,” said Jen Jones, RMR Pediatric Care Coordinator.

Each hospital was recognized for its unique strengths in pediatric readiness:

• Littleton was commended for pediatric education programs, emergency surge and reunification planning, and equipment standardization.
• Parker received praise for mock pediatric codes, standardized pharmacy order sets, and MCI drills that include children.
• Castle Rock was highlighted for its home oxygen program for children, PALS Bootcamp for nurses, and collaborative approach to care.

“This recognition isn’t just a designation, it represents lives saved,” Jones said. “By maintaining pediatric readiness, we’re helping reduce mortality for medically ill children by 76% and for traumatically injured children by 60%.”

This achievement was made possible through the dedication of the RMR Pediatric Care Coordinators, Rebecca Kornas, MD and Jen Jones, and site leaders Kaitlin Hunt, MD and Kimberly Harback (Castle Rock), Morgan Skurky-Thomas, MD and Amanda Sagert (Littleton), and Stephanie Hanna, MD and Kalie Griffy (Parker).

“This effort ensures that every child in our communities receives safe, compassionate, and timely emergency care,” Jones added.