Nearly 75 people protested outside Baltimore-based MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center May 8 after hospital officials revealed in April they would combine their pediatric and adult emergency rooms, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Protesters carried signs bearing slogans such as "children over profit" and "greed kills babies." Hospital officials cited declining pediatric emergency admissions as a reason for the move.
"The only discontinued service is a very small inpatient pediatric unit. All other pediatric services remain available at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center," hospital officials said in a statement. "MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center remains committed to serving pediatric patients throughout the community."
The restructuring led to an unspecified number of pediatricians and other clinicians losing their jobs, which will force some patients to change hospitals, according to protestors.