SILVERDALE, Wash. \u2014 Hundreds of children who rely on specialized therapy services will soon be without care as St. Michael Medical Center prepares to shut down its pediatric outpatient rehabilitation clinic in Silverdale this week. <\/p>\n
The clinic, which provides occupational, speech, and physical therapy, is set to close Friday because of financial challenges \u2014 a move that is sending families scrambling to find alternatives in an already strained health care system. <\/p>\n
Families Face Limited Options<\/p>\n
Parents say they were given about six weeks\u2019 notice of the closure, and many providers in the region already have monthslong waitlists, leaving families with a gap in care and few realistic options.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was devastating for me and for a lot of families because our area doesn\u2019t have a lot of options, and our kids are not going to have places to go at this point,\u201d said Noelle Pacl, whose son has received care at the clinic for more than a decade.<\/p>\n
Pacl\u2019s son, Logan, has a degenerative disease and has depended on consistent therapy for 13 years. Like many others, the family was forced to quickly find a new provider.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clinics here are full. They have waitlists. They don\u2019t take Medicaid,\u201d Pacl said. \u201cThe only places close that do take Medicaid are in Tacoma or Seattle. A lot of parents have travel barriers, and those places have waitlists as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Progress at Risk for Young Patients<\/p>\n
For some families, the disruption could mean a significant setback, reversing months of progress.<\/p>\n
Katie Osantowski said she waited months to get her 8-year-old daughter into occupational and speech therapy at St. Michael last fall. Now, just months later, she is back to square one \u2014 facing waitlists of six months or longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cPausing her care means she\u2019s not going to be progressing,\u201d Osantowski said. \u201cAny progress we\u2019ve made, we fear she will lose or regress.\u201d<\/p>\n
“When there\u2019s a gap in care like that, these kids will regress,” Pacl added. “They\u2019ll just lose the progress they\u2019ve made in their therapies.”<\/p>\n
Hospital Cites Financial Pressures<\/p>\n
Hospital officials said the decision was not made lightly.<\/p>\n
In a statement, St. Michael Medical Center cited \u201csignificant financial pressures, including rising labor and supply costs, increasing insurance claim denials, and chronic underpayment from government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hospital said it recognizes the importance of these services and the difficulty families face in transitioning care. Officials said the clinic serves about 200 patients, and some will complete their course of therapy before it closes Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had so many people reach out and try to find solutions, and they don\u2019t seem to want to help us,\u201d Osantowski said. \u201cIt feels like they don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Families worry the closure could also signal broader cuts to health care services in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now this is affecting our kids,\u201d Pacl said. \u201cTomorrow, it\u2019s going to affect many more members of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Protests and Calls for Solutions<\/p>\n