Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane will close its children’s psychiatric unit on Sept. 7, Providence announced Tuesday. Chief Medical Officer Dr.
Dan Getz said financial losses and difficulty finding enough child psychiatrists led to the decision. The Psychiatric Center for Children and Adolescents cares for children ages 12 to 17 with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, acute psychosis or other diagnoses that require inpatient hospitalization. The unit is licensed for 24 beds, but capacity has been reduced to eight on the heels of provider shortages.
Getz said the unit needs at least four more psychiatrists amid a national shortage — especially for those specializing in inpatient pediatric treatment — that increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. If the unit was fully staffed, it would not be closing, he said. The decision came through a formal process involving experts and ethics leaders who considered the nonprofit’s mission to care for the poor and vulnerable.
The adult inpatient psychiatric unit will not be affected. In an occasional series, The Seattle Times Mental Health Project is investigating why children are waiting days or weeks for vital psychiatric care. Read more: The closure will cut about 50 positions.
The majority who work in the unit are registered nurses and mental health counselors. Human resources will identify other employment within Providence where possible, communications director Beth Hegde said. Over the next two months, th.
