CATCH Kids program adjusts to pandemic

Catch Kids talks about how it adjusted during the pandemic.

Child health care program provides health care services to children who can't afford it otherwise.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the catch kids program to change the way the organization is run.

Wtva's wayne hereford joins us live in tupelo where he talked to the executive director how she is dealing with kids during the pandemic.

Valarie long says the catch kids program simply cannot afford to take a chance when a child shows up to a clinic with coronavirus symptoms right now ."

"the corona signs and symptoms are so closely related to upper respiratory signs and symptoms " valerie long is the executive director of catch kids incorporated.

The clinic staff is still examining children right now but not those with coronavirus symptoms. "but the reason that we are not seeking the other children is , especially children with the strep throats the upper respiratory because their syjmptoms are so, you can't differentiate between them.

And because we don't do the testing , if children come to our clinics with those symptoms we'll be liable if we don't test them."

So she says its a chance they can't take .

But she is hoping things will get better.

"so right now we don't know what's going to come up in the fall, we're just kind of waiting to see if the vaccines come and the children get those and that we can."

Long says the clinic helps children between the ages of birth to eighteen years of age.

She says they still examine kids with illnesses not related to the coronavirus.

Reporting live in tupelo wayne hereford wtva nine news.

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