A new clinic at 2828 International Circle in Colorado Springs is letting parents skip the waiting room drama of an emergency department when their kid spikes a fever or breaks out in a rash. Peak Vista Community Health Centers opened its Pediatric Walk-In Center on Oct. 1, offering no-appointment care for patients from birth through age 21, and families who qualify for the organization's income-based discount program can pay as little as $15 for a visit.
The center, Peak Vista's 22nd location, occupies a repurposed family health center on the organization's main campus, according to a release from Peak Vista Community Health Centers. It's open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and patients don't need to already be established Peak Vista patients to walk through the door. Peak Vista CEO Jaeson Fournier said the clinic is meant to expand convenient, on-demand services while helping children connect with the primary care they need long-term, per the release.
The clinic treats a broad range of common childhood complaints, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette, including ear infections, strep throat, respiratory infections such as influenza and RSV, rashes, sprains, and other minor maladies. Staff also provide stitches and sports physicals. One limitation: the center doesn't have on-site X-ray equipment and can't treat broken bones, according to KKTV.
Why Peak Vista Says the Gap Exists
Dr. Bhavna Bali, Peak Vista's pediatric service line leader and the main driver behind the project, told the Gazette that many families were ending up in emergency rooms and urgent care centers for issues that didn't need that level of care — and that cost more than a visit to the walk-in center. Bali said families should have care options beyond the emergency room, and the station's report notes her broader concern: thousands of children covered by Medicaid or without insurance in El Paso County don't have an established pediatric primary-care provider, according to the organization's internal analysis and community needs assessment.
That shortage shows up in the numbers Fournier cited to KKTV: El Paso County has 101 pediatricians but needs approximately 150, based on data Peak Vista reviewed. The organization's review also found that more than 90% of the pediatric emergency-room visits it analyzed could have been better handled in a primary-care setting, per the same account.
The problem isn't unique to Colorado Springs. A Colorado Children's Campaign report found that seven in 10 Colorado kids live in communities without enough pediatric primary-care providers to meet estimated demand, according to Colorado Public Radio. Using 2024 data, the analysis found nearly 388,000 Colorado children — roughly one in three — live in communities where providers can meet less than 60% of estimated demand, and about 82,000 children live in areas where providers can meet just 20% or less of that demand.
What Happens When Kids Have No Pediatrician
Bali said children without a regular pediatrician often end up seeking care only when they're quite sick, missing out on preventive visits and timely vaccines along the way. Peak Vista built a primary care pediatric hub next door to the walk-in center specifically so the clinic can help families secure an ongoing pediatrician for routine care rather than just patching up one acute problem and sending them on their way.
Bali said wait times could increase during flu season as respiratory illnesses spike, though the center is staffed to absorb that seasonal surge. She also said the pediatric-trained team is dedicated to child health, framing the walk-in model as a deliberate attempt to give families same-day access and remove barriers that normally push them toward the ER.
How It Compares to Other Options
Families in the Denver metro area have a different option in Children's Hospital Colorado, which offers limited same-day appointments and walk-in pediatric urgent care when a child's own pediatrician isn't available, according to Children's Hospital Colorado. Those locations — in Broomfield, Highlands Ranch, Wheat Ridge and Southeast Aurora — are open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time, a schedule that differs from Peak Vista's Monday-through-Saturday hours in Colorado Springs.
Marking the Opening With a Free Festival
Peak Vista is marking the center's debut with a free open house and fall festival at the clinic this Sunday, Nov. 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the organization's release. The event, open to the public, will include carnival games, refreshments, tours of the facility, and information about the services offered there. The first 50 attendees will receive a free Carhartt or North Face hat.
