HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Longtime pediatrician Douglas Mitchell has shifted his practice from General Booth Pediatrics in Virginia Beach to Norfolk Pediatrics. 

The change follows the retirement of Dr. Sanjay Amin of Norfolk Pediatrics after a long career in pediatrics. His practice became part of CHKD Medical Group in 2019. We thank him for his decades of service in treating children throughout the community.

Besides being a beloved pediatrician in Virginia Beach, Dr. Mitchell is the director of the CHKD Medical Group, the hospital system’s network of 20 pediatric practices in 31 locations throughout the region. He’s been with CHKD since 1992, when he joined the Center for Pediatric Research, a joint program of CHKD and Eastern Virginia Medical School. 

He’s been medical director of CHKD Medical Group since 2014, a role that includes strategic planning, quality improvement, community outreach, and program development. 

Dr. Mitchell is also director of the International Adoption and Travel Medicine program, which moves with him to Norfolk Pediatrics, 1529 International Blvd, Suite 103.

The program helps families by offering comprehensive pre- and post-adoption medical consultations and evaluations for prospective parents preparing to welcome a child from abroad into their lives.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Amin on his retirement, and welcoming Dr. Mitchell to his new location.

Dr. Douglas Mitchell, Dr. Sanjay Amin

NORFOLK, Va. – Jersiah Washington’s last day at CHKD turned out to be a spectacular one, with Spiderman swooping down to wave to him from outside the 1-year-old boy’s window.

The best part? Jersiah’s room was on the 8th floor, and Spiderman was swinging down from ropes attached to the rooftop.

Window cleaners from Valcourt Building Services sported superhero costumes to entertain the children as the employees cleaned and squeegeed the windows of the patients’ rooms earlier this week.

To keep children and their families safe from COVID-19, CHKD has limited visitors and volunteers to its facilities, so the visit by superheroes from behind a thick pane of glass was an unexpected treat, with just the right amount of social distancing.

“It’s a great experience for the kids,” said Jersiah’s mother, Sha’Qualia Nowell, who lives in Virginia Beach.

The window washers enjoy seeing the surprised looks on children’s faces.

“Sometimes they wave to us,” said Kevin Diestra, operations manager for Valcourt’s Hampton Roads office. “They’ll point and say, ‘Oh, look at that.’ It’s an aww moment.”

One-year-old Jersiah Washington gets up close and personal to Spiderman, aka Samuel De Paz, while still in the safety of the arms of his mother, Sha‘Qualia Nowell.

Window washers from Valcourt Building Services give CHKD patients a boost while getting the job done. Even superheroes wear protective face masks.

CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region.  

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – All patients who are 3 and older and developmentally and medically able to wear a cloth face covering or mask will be required to do so at CHKD practices and facilities beginning Wednesday, May 27. This requirement also applies to the parent accompanying the patient.

Universal face coverings are one step in CHKD’s efforts to keep our environment as safe as possible for everyone and to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Previously, we were providing patients and caregivers with cloth face coverings if they did not arrive with them, but we’re no longer able to keep up with the demand.

If you do not have a face mask or covering, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for these easy directions on making a no-sew cloth face covering from a T-shirt or bandana.

In addition to requiring face coverings, CHKD will continue other safety measures established in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These include mandatory masking for staff members, limiting visitors to our facilities and practices, screening visitors and staff, isolating individuals with COVID-19 symptoms, and facilitating social distancing.

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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers and satellite offices throughout its service region.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – As the only pediatric surgery center in the region, CHKD is pleased to return to a full array of surgical procedures in response to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s May 1 order allowing non-emergency surgeries to resume.

Although we have continued to perform urgent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will now be reaching out to patients to reschedule elective procedures that were postponed due to the statewide concern that hospitals might be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Fortunately, children have not been as severely affected by COVID-19 as adults. Only 1.7 percent of reported COVID-19 cases have been in children, even though they make up 22 percent of the population. Still, CHKD has put into place an extensive list of safety measures to make surgical procedures and clinical visits to our facilities safe for children and their families. These safety measures will stay in place for the foreseeable future and include the following:

• We’re screening all patients, visitors, and staff members for fever and other COVID-19 symptoms before they enter a CHKD facility.
• All CHKD staff members must wear a mask.
• We are limiting the number of visitors to the hospital, our health centers, and our physician practices.
• We are social distancing in our lobbies, lines, and waiting rooms.

In addition, we are testing all surgical patients for COVID-19 prior to surgery. If a test result is positive, we will postpone that surgery unless doing so would endanger the child. The child’s surgeon will order the test. It can be performed at CHKD’s main hospital lab In Norfolk, or the CHKD urgent care centers at Volvo Parkway, Tech Center, or Loehmann’s Plaza. Please note: CHKD urgent care centers are also offering COVID-19 tests to their patients who meet testing criteria, but they are not a walk-in testing site for the public or a referral lab.

Surgical procedures at CHKD during the governor’s elective surgery ban fell by more than 60 percent. As a result, we will extend our usual hours to catch up on these procedures to accommodate children in need of treatment vital to their health and well-being.

We know families have been diligent about sheltering in place, but we urge parents not to put off needed treatment of children unnecessarily. Delays can lead to more severe health problems, not just physically but mentally. Children with chronic health conditions also need to continue treatment to maintain the best health possible.

At our main hospital in Norfolk, we provide inpatient and outpatient surgery from the most complex operations to very minor outpatient procedures. We also offer outpatient procedures for patients by surgical specialists at our Health and Surgery Center at Oyster Point in Newport News and our Health and Surgery Center at Concert Drive in Virginia Beach.

In addition to six surgical specialties – cardiac surgery,neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, and urological surgery – pediatric ear, nose and throat surgeons and eye surgeons, dentists, and dental surgeons also operate at CHKD. Every patient benefits from the extensive training and expertise of the region’s only pediatric anesthesiologists, and a full team of pediatric nurses, child life specialists, and others who create a unique surgical experience designed just for young people.

The pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses who provide care through CHKD's surgical program are committed to quality and excellence in a child-centered environment and are proud to hold a Level I Children’s Surgery Center designation from the American College of Surgeons.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – To protect our patients and community from the spread of COVID-19, CHKD is changing its visitation policy.

Effective Friday, March 13, at noon, only two parents or caregivers will be allowed to accompany a child during hospitalization or surgery at the main hospital and outpatient facilities. No other visitors will be allowed.

No one should visit the hospital if they are sick.

In addition, we are taking extra precautions for all outpatient appointments, including appointments with CHKD Medical Group; CHKD Surgical Group; Children’s Specialty Group; CHKD mental health providers; and CHKD physical, occupational, and speech therapists. We are asking parents to call their practices and providers for special instructions before coming if the child has a fever and cough.

Thank you for helping us provide the safest possible environment for your children and community. 

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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers and satellite offices throughout its service region. Learn more at CHKD.org.