JUPITER — Jupiter Medical Center is ending inpatient treatment for children who need to be hospitalized, a move the hospital said would allow it to offer care for the surging number of women choosing to give birth there.
The nonprofit medical center — the only one in northern Palm Beach County with inpatient pediatric beds — will continue to provide emergency care to children but would arrange for patients needing hospitalizations to be transferred to other area hospitals.
The closest children’s hospital to Jupiter is about 15 miles away, at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. St. Mary’s is part of the for-profit Palm Beach Health Network, an affiliate of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.
The change could mean the loss of as many as 16 jobs, according to a source. A spokesperson for the medical center said those working in pediatrics will be encouraged to apply for other jobs at the hospital, such as those in postpartum care.
Jupiter Medical Center’s inpatient pediatric beds will be used for postpartum instead
Jupiter Medical said it is closing the inpatient pediatric unit by April 1 because demand for pediatric beds has been low, but demand for maternity beds has exceeded expectations.
Jupiter Medical Center’s inpatient pediatric unit opened a decade ago. During the past few years, only about 15% of its beds were used per day, the spokesperson said.
The hospital expects to deliver nearly 3,000 babies this year, which is a 70% increase since 2020. The 12 beds now devoted to inpatient pediatric care will be shifted to postpartum care, the spokesperson said.
“As the region’s leading independent medical center, we continuously evaluate and respond to what our community needs most,” Amit Rastogi, president and chief executive officer of the hospital, wrote in a prepared statement. “This transition ensures that families will continue to have access to the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.”
The move comes at a time of robust growth at Jupiter Medical Center, whose campus along Old Dixie Highway includes a total of 340 beds. It recently opened a patient care tower with 92 beds for adults as well as a new affiliation with the Hospital for Special Surgery, which will perform orthopedic surgeries at the medical center.
In addition to the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center, two other hospitals in Palm Beach County also have inpatient pediatric units. They are Palms West Children’s Hospital near Royal Palm Beach, about 30 miles southwest of Jupiter, and West Boca Medical Center in Boca Raton, 45 miles away.
The Palm Beach Health Network, Palm Beach County’s largest health care network, offers 93 pediatric beds at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s and 47 pediatric beds at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at West Boca Medical Center, according to a spokesperson for the network.
“Palm Beach Health Network has proudly cared for the children of our community for decades, and we remain committed to ensuring families across Palm Beach County and beyond have access to high-quality, comprehensive pediatric care close to home,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Decision to close unit likely based on revenue, FIU professor says
Attila Hertelendy, a Florida International University business professor who studies hospitals, said a business decision likely drove Jupiter Medical Center close its inpatient pediatric unit. Parts of hospital operations subsidize others if they are losing money, he said.
“Hospitals right now are doing everything based on revenue,” Hertelendy said. “It could be a service line that’s just underperforming and it doesn’t make sense to keep it. If you have more patients coming in from another service line, you need to divert resources.”
He said the move doesn’t necessarily point to a trend among hospitals moving away from providing inpatient pediatric care, but it does show the hospital is looking to serve the demand it gets based on its demographics.
“If you don’t have that pediatric population that is coming, that’s probably why they made that decision,” he said. “I don’t think that decision was made quickly. I think they took their time, did due diligence and shifted resources to where it makes sense.”
Maya Washburn is a trending news reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter Medical Center closing pediatric unit to expand maternity care
Reporting by Maya Washburn, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
