Kids need hospital beds – in-demand!

As cases of Covid-19 begin to subside, parents with sick children are still struggling to find open pediatric beds. Even before the pandemic, the number of pediatric beds was dwindling due to financial concerns. With higher rates of reimbursement for adult care, some hospitals have been forced to put adults into pediatric beds to remain financially stable. The shortage of technicians, doctors, and training staff also contributes to the lack of open beds. Mental health crises have further strained the system, with children staying in emergency departments for weeks and sometimes months at a time. This shortage of pediatric beds is not a new issue, with the number of children requiring care decreasing before the pandemic. Nevertheless, it is clear that pediatric care needs more investment, as improvements in care have led to more demand for specialized care. The current shortage of beds is causing parents to travel further for care and leaving hospitals with overworked staff and unstaffed beds. As a result, hospitals are forced to make difficult decisions, such as closing down pediatric units or converting pediatric beds to adult care. One solution could be increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates, so that hospitals have incentives to keep pediatric beds available for children in need.#Pediatric #hospital #beds #high #demand #ailing #children #Heres