Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Los Robles Regional Medical Center closed its pediatric unit July 1, the Thousand Oaks Acorn reported July 4.
Hospital officials attributed the 12-bed unit’s closure to a significant decrease in pediatric volume. They reported the unit averaged fewer than two patients per day.
“By permanently closing the unit, we will continue to focus on the specialties and services our community needs most,” hospital officials wrote on the Los Robles website. “Currently, we are experiencing greater demand for other medical and surgical needs within our adult population.”
The 382-bed acute care hospital, which is part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, initially announced the closure in February.
Physicians in the area, including Los Robles’ chief of pediatrics, Kenneth Saul, MD, and Andrew Matthew, MD, a local pediatrician, expressed their concerns about the closure and its potential effects on travel time for certain pediatric care, according to the Acorn.
The closest facilities with inpatient pediatric units include Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles, Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Los Robles officials emphasized that the hospital will continue to treat pediatric patients in the emergency department.
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