Families urge St. Michael Medical Center to delay closure of pediatric rehab clinic

Parents of children who rely on St. Michael Medical Center’s pediatric rehabilitation clinic urged the Kitsap Public Health District board to press the hospital to delay a planned closure and to provide clearer financial and transition information.

Noel Pottsil, with Stand with Saint Michael’s Kids, said the clinic "is one of the few on the Peninsula that accepts Medicaid" and that families first learned of the closure from therapists in early March. "There are 250 children currently receiving care there with hundreds more in the wait list," Pottsil said, arguing that many local alternatives are distant, have long wait lists and do not accept Medicaid.

The parents’ remarks followed a presentation by hospital officials explaining that system‑level financial pressures and staffing shortages have forced difficult decisions. Ally McLaughlin, interim vice president of operations, said the pediatric rehabilitation clinic’s announced closure date is April 24, 2026. She said staff are working on clinical handoffs and transition support and that roughly "187 or so" to "around 200" patients are currently active in the program.

Why it matters: parents and clinicians said the clinic’s mix of services (physical therapy, hydrotherapy, speech and occupational therapy) and willingness to serve medically complex, Medicaid‑covered children make it uniquely important on the Kitsap Peninsula. Families warned that even short interruptions in therapy can cause regression in children who rely on continuous care.

Several parents asked for transparency about the hospital’s decision and the clinic’s finances. "The public has still not been shown the actual numbers for this clinic," said Billy Pachtzl, a parent and community member, urging the hospital to share clinic‑level financials and the options that were considered. Katie Ocentowski, another parent, said the six‑week transition window and a list of 20 mostly distant clinics is "not adequate time" for families and asked the hospital to help secure alternatives before stopping care.

Hospital leaders acknowledged the hardship. David Weiss, chief medical officer for St. Michael Medical Center, and Rosie Apolisek, chief nurse, emphasized recent local additions — a 74‑bed acute care expansion and freestanding emergency departments — and noted larger operating losses at the parent system level. McLaughlin said the system had a substantial multi‑year operating loss and that staffing shortages and reimbursement shortfalls contributed to hard choices about safety‑net services.

Board members pressed for specifics and options. Dr. Marriott and others asked whether partners such as Mary Bridge (Seattle‑area pediatric specialty services), MultiCare, or Seattle Children’s had been pursued as direct successors or collaborators; McLaughlin said discussions with multiple partners are ongoing and that the hospital is willing to sit at the table with local stakeholders. Council member Matthews and others asked the hospital to clarify whether the 250‑figure cited by families or the hospital’s lower active‑patient count (about 187–200) is correct; McLaughlin said the hospital would follow up with an exact number.

The hospital described programmatic changes beyond pediatric rehab: the SANE (forensic sexual assault nurse examiner) program will transition to RSI, a Puget Sound forensic provider, with RSI providing forensic nursing response and partnered aftercare arrangements.

Next steps: hospital leaders said they are scheduled to meet with parents next week and will continue transition work with referring providers. McLaughlin said the closure is currently slated for April 24, 2026, and that leadership would return with more detailed follow‑up on decision authority, the clinic’s financials (the hospital said the closure decision was not based on a single line‑item number), and partner options.

The board did not take a formal vote on the clinic; members encouraged the hospital to continue partnering with local agencies, tribes, school districts and pediatric providers to explore alternatives and to provide clearer data for community review.