Pediatric ICUs close across the US, pushing sick children farther from care

Montana, Oregon and Missouri lost pediatric intensive care units in the past year, as hospitals trim child-focused services for financial reasons.

Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana, ended its pediatric intensive care services in October 2026. In the past year, hospitals also closed pediatric ICUs in Oregon and Missouri, and overnight pediatric wings shut in Illinois and California. The Missoula hospital is owned by for-profit Lifepoint Health, which has revenue above $10 billion a year. In Portland, nonprofit Providence closed the four-bed pediatric ICU at St. Vincent Medical Center last November, citing too few patients.

The trend is long-running. An analysis cited by KFF Health News found hospitals with pediatric inpatient units fell from 1,749 in 2008 to 1,226 in 2022, nearly 30%. The analysis is unnamed in the material we have. It also found three-quarters of hospitals have no pediatric inpatient services. Hospitals point to low patient volumes, a shortage of pediatric subspecialists who earn less than adult-focused doctors, lower payment for treating children, and the cost of child-sized equipment. Many convert pediatric beds to newborn or adult care.

For health access, this means the sickest children must travel farther at the worst moment. The next pediatric ICU from Missoula is in Kalispell, about 150 miles north. CEO Greg Cook estimates the unit saw about two ICU children a month and that roughly 25 patients a year will be affected. Those are his approximations. Children needing ventilators will be stabilized and transferred. Transfers add cost, delay and strain on families. Because about half of US children are covered by Medicaid or CHIP, the payment gap that drives these closures is built into the system. Researchers warn that added Medicaid hurdles and narrower eligibility under the Trump administration will widen the gaps and hurt hospital finances.

The stated reasons also differ. A spokesperson said low volumes and staffing drove the decision, not quality concerns, while Cook earlier framed it as about quality. The source text we have is truncated, so check KFF Health News for the full reporting.

Source: KFF Health News