MetroWest Medical Center intends to shutter its inpatient pediatric unit at Framingham (Mass.) Union Hospital by the end of November due to low patient volume, according to local news source Wicked Local Franklin.
The announcement, made by medical center CEO Andrew Harding, DNP, RN, in a July 29 public letter, follows renewed plans to transfer all acute care at Natick, Mass.-based Leonard Morse Hospital to Framingham Union later this year. Both facilities are owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.
"This was a decision that we did not take lightly," Dr. Harding's letter reads. "As the need for our current pediatric services is limited, we concluded that the closure of the unit is the best path forward, and we will work to help transition pediatric patients in need of specialized services to other nearby facilities."
Framingham Union will continue to offer pediatric emergency care, as well as neonatal and obstetrical services. Eligible employees will receive help to find other jobs at Framingham Union.
A 90-day notice of closure will be filed with the state Department of Public Health. The department requires a public hearing for the proposed changes but can't require a hospital to keep a service open.
Hospitals statewide are seeing fewer pediatric patients, and it's difficult to compete against Boston hospitals, said Marty Cohen, president and CEO at Framingham-based MetroWest Health Foundation, an independent health philanthropy.
MetroWest Medical Center intends to shutter its inpatient pediatric unit at Framingham (Mass.) Union Hospital by the end of November due to low patient volume, according to local news source Wicked Local Franklin.
The announcement, made by medical center CEO Andrew Harding, DNP, RN, in a July 29 public letter, follows renewed plans to transfer all acute care at Natick, Mass.-based Leonard Morse Hospital to Framingham Union later this year. Both facilities are owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.
"This was a decision that we did not take lightly," Dr. Harding's letter reads. "As the need for our current pediatric services is limited, we concluded that the closure of the unit is the best path forward, and we will work to help transition pediatric patients in need of specialized services to other nearby facilities."
Framingham Union will continue to offer pediatric emergency care, as well as neonatal and obstetrical services. Eligible employees will receive help to find other jobs at Framingham Union.
A 90-day notice of closure will be filed with the state Department of Public Health. The department requires a public hearing for the proposed changes but can't require a hospital to keep a service open.
Hospitals statewide are seeing fewer pediatric patients, and it's difficult to compete against Boston hospitals, said Marty Cohen, president and CEO at Framingham-based MetroWest Health Foundation, an independent health philanthropy.