PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Jupiter Medical Center (JMC) announced this week it will expand its obstetrics department with additional operating rooms and beds for new mothers.
WATCH BELOW: 'Those are children being born in this community that are going to need these services,' Faiza Frownfelter tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
The added service for families will take over the hospital's inpatient pediatric care, which will be fully closed starting April 1.
JMC told WPTV inpatient care will not be impacted during the transition but It's important to note that emergency pediatric care and treatment will remain fully open.
For families whose children need to be admitted overnight, the JMC will help coordinate travel to the next closest children's hospital.
Growing demand drives expansion
Jupiter Medical Center has seen a 70% increase in deliveries since 2020, according to the hospital. Denis Shulyak, whose daughter Eevee was born at the hospital via emergency C-section, represents this growing demand.
"It was really close by to us and we did our research," Shulyak said. "We decided Jupiter, we looked at all their birth rate and everything and decided it was the best and when we were there they were great."
Shulyak's family lives in Jupiter, and he said if his wife and he had to go again, they would definitely choose Jupiter Medical.
The hospital expects 3,000 new babies this year and is adding two operating rooms for delivery and 12 beds for new mothers to meet this demand.
According to Jupiter Medical Center, they're the region's only independent, not-for-profit hospital.
Parents express concerns about closure
Faiza Frownfelter, a parent of six children, said she was "dumbfounded" by the decision to close inpatient pediatric care.
"Why they would do that when there's nothing close by for families in Hobe Sound all the way through North Palm Beach," Frownfelter said.
She's a parent of six, and two of her children have relied on the inpatient pediatric care at Jupiter Medical. She said the next closest hospital is St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, which she estimates is 35 minutes away.
"Those are children being born in this community that are going to need these services," Frownfelter said.
Low utilization cited as reason
WPTV dug for answers and Jupiter Medical Center said its inpatient pediatric department only saw 15% of its beds used daily, and 4.5% of children who came in for emergencies needed to stay overnight.
"Subsidizing something like a pediatric department even if it's not bringing in the numbers just yet makes more sense than ending it completely and then trying to restart it 10 years down the road," argued Frownfelter.
The hospital said they will coordinate transportation to another hospital if inpatient care is needed.
Frownfelter expressed concerns about the demand that hospitals like St. Mary's would be facing once Jupiter Medical Center shuts down its inpatient pediatric department.
Alternative care options available
Palm Beach Health Network released the following statement addressing the closure:
"Palm Beach Health Network has proudly cared for the children of our community for decades, and we remain committed to ensuring families across Palm Beach County and beyond have access to high-quality, comprehensive pediatric care close to home."
The network operates Palm Beach Children's Hospital at St. Mary's Medical Center, described as "the only dedicated children's hospital from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale," and Palm Beach Children's Hospital at West Boca Medical Center. Together, they offer a combined 140 dedicated pediatric beds, including specialized pediatric emergency rooms at both locations.
Palm Beach Children's Hospital at St. Mary's features 93 pediatric beds and a dedicated pediatric emergency room, while Palm Beach Children's Hospital at West Boca Medical Center provides 47 pediatric beds and its own pediatric emergency department.
The network offers pediatric specialties including cardiology, critical care medicine, emergency medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, trauma surgery, and urology.
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