DENVER — Immigrant children separated from their parents are in Colorado, according to a Denver-area physician.

They ended up in an emergency room with very little information.

The children recently went to be treated for things such as dehydration, upper respiratory infections and rashes.

They were taken to emergency rooms by foster parents. The three toddlers from Guatemala and Honduras are staying with different foster families.

“These kids were all gripped so tightly to their foster mothers that I was having trouble even examining them,” said Dr. Tara Neubrand, who treated the children.

“I could help their cold. I could help their vomiting. I could help their rash but I couldn’t fix their problem. I couldn’t help where they really needed help and that was really hard. That was really hard.”

There were no medical records or parents’ contact information.

Foster care expert John DeGarmo said it’s the type of information he likes to have.

“In general I have in front of me information about the child’s health,” DeGarmo said. “Their past history. Perhaps their parents history. And I maybe have an idea of why they’ve been placed in foster care.”

DeGarmo, who runs the Foster Care Institute, said not all medical records are immediately available.

But anxiety, confusion and fear set in quickly, he said.

“There are issues of attachment,” DeGarmo said. “Issues of trust. At a very very early age absolutely. Those children are suddenly in an environment where they don’t know those people, the caregiver.”

The doctor said the foster parents don’t know how long they will be caring for those children. For now, she said the children are fortunate to be in caring hands.