Pediatric ICU Closures Spread as Hospitals Cite Costs, Staffing
Hospitals across the country are closing pediatric intensive care units and overnight pediatric wings, citing low patient volumes, shortages of pediatric subspecialists, and financial pressures. In the past year, PICUs closed in Montana, Oregon, and Missouri, with overnight pediatric units also shutting in Illinois and California; a broader analysis found pediatric inpatient units fell nearly 30% from 2008 to 2022, leaving three-quarters of hospitals without pediatric inpatient services. The closures force critically ill children to travel much farther for care, a problem acute in rural areas like Montana, where the nearest PICU can now be 150 miles away. Pediatricians and researchers warn that federal Medicaid cuts and new administrative eligibility hurdles, affecting coverage for the roughly half of U.S. children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, will accelerate these closures by reducing hospital revenue tied to enrollment.