Ventura (Calif.) County Medical Center will reopen its pediatric intensive care unit Oct. 29, nearly four years after county hospital officials closed the unit due to staffing and patient transfer concerns, according to the VC Star.
The eight-bed unit, which offers specialized care for children with severe asthma complications, chronic illnesses necessitating the use of ventilators, and head trauma, opened in February 2012. However, three years later, officials with Ventura County Medical Center voluntarily shut the unit down and suspended its license.
At the time, the hospital pointed to persistent vacancies for specially trained registered nurses as one of the issues leading to the unit's closure. Controversies also arose over the level of training and staffing required for the unit's respiratory care therapists. For example, decisions made by the unit's former medical director to often transfer patients to other hospitals brought up questions about how staff were trained, according to the report.
Upon reopening, three physicians and 12 specially trained nurses will staff the unit.
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