Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital joins Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital as recognized COPPER Pediatric Advanced designated hospitals.
(PRUnderground) September 16th, 2025
Children coming to the hospital for emergency medical care may look and act like small humans, but their needs – especially in a medical emergency – greatly differ from adults. That’s the premise behind Colorado Pediatric Preparedness for the Emergency Room (COPPER).
Intermountain Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette is now recognized as a COPPER Pediatric Advanced designated hospital. Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction also carries the designation.
The COPPER designation underscores the hospital’s commitment to providing exceptional medical care to children in emergency situations. The certification, awarded by the Emergency Medical Services for Children program, ensures the highest standards of safety and preparedness for those young patients.
Good Samaritan caregivers began the journey a year ago by updating policies, obtaining specialized equipment, and ensuring caregivers participated in ongoing education. The team had elements in place to address the unique needs of children in emergencies, and this recognition reinforces that commitment.
“We are proud of the strides we have made in pediatric care and the positive impact it has on our communities,” said Jannice Juliano, regional service line director for emergency and trauma care for Intermountain Health. Juliano is the former emergency department director for St. Mary’s and helped lead that team to achieve the designation.
Pediatric patients comprise more than 5% of the overall annual volume of patients treated in the Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room, but those patients have unique needs. “It’s a lower volume, high risk population for us,” said Marian Dirks, emergency department director at Good Samaritan Hospital. “We want to make sure that we are focused on the things we need to do for the pediatric population because they’re not just small adults.”
Intermountain Health, with 34 hospitals in six states, continues to support pediatric readiness efforts across the system including regular meetings with the Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators.
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/.
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Original Press Release.
