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The University of Kansas Medical Center is pictured on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas.<\/p>\n
Emily Curiel<\/p>\n
ecuriel@kcstar.com<\/p>\n
The University of Kansas Hospital<\/a> will soon close its pediatric intensive care units (PICU) at its Kansas City, Kansas location, a hospital spokesperson confirmed in an email this week.<\/p>\n The decision to sunset PICU services comes after what a hospital official described as \u201cchronically low\u201d use of those services, coupled with a \u201ctremendous need\u201d for inpatient beds among other children and adults.<\/p>\n After services stop, pediatric patients who need emergency care will continue to be triaged the same way they\u2019ve always been, according to Jill Chadwick, a hospital spokesperson.<\/p>\n The hospital will also continue to offer pediatric inpatient services for children<\/a> who need hospitalization \u2014 just not intensive care.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year we cared for only 150 unique patients in the PICU out of 542,429 unique patients health system-wide. That is well below one-quarter of one half of a percent,\u201d Chadwick said in an email Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe majority of the time, the PICU is used for overflow from the NICU or neonatal patient care,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201c… The health system needs space to meet higher demands for care.\u201d<\/p>\n Chadwick said that as of this week, the hospital has not yet decided when it will stop PICU services. The hospital is considering dates that coincide with its fiscal year budget.<\/p>\n The date of closure will also depend on how it can transition patients already in the PICU to receive care in a different part of the hospital going forward, Chadwick said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to care for pediatric inpatients who don\u2019t require intensive care,\u201d Chadwick said in an email. \u201cAnd, we will work with other hospitals in the same way we\u2019ve always worked together to treat rare, emergency cases.\u201d<\/p>\n Chadwick said the University of Kansas Hospital will continue partnerships with hospitals across the metro that provide PICU services to help meet patient needs.<\/p>\n The hospital currently has 19 beds for children who need to be hospitalized, but do not need intensive care, Chadwick said.<\/p>\n What happens after services stop?<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear, exactly, how hospital staff will be affected by the sunset of PICU services. Chadwick said in an email that those working in the PICU department will continue to care for pediatric patients.<\/p>\n The hospital is still mulling over options for what will happen to the existing PICU space and how it will be used. Pediatric patients will likely continue to receive care there, but Chadwick said she could not provide official transition plans Saturday.<\/p>\n Chadwick said it\u2019s common for adult academic teaching hospitals, like KU, to not provide ongoing pediatric intensive care services when there is a children\u2019s hospital in the same city \u2014 in this case, Children\u2019s Mercy<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, Chadwick said, the University of Kansas hospital plans to work with that hospital to provide specialized care, citing its radiation and proton therapy services for Children\u2019s Mercy patients who need that care.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we know how this transition will impact individual patients, we will develop communications to support a smooth transition experience for those families,\u201d Chadwick said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Kansas City Star<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/KCM_KUMed_EJC_002.JPG\" "\\"KCM_KUMed_EJC_002.JPG\\"")
The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com No timeline yet for closure<\/p>\n