Facing financial hardship and competitive pressures, the Children's Institute of Pittsburgh plans to close two of its five outpatient centers and furlough six employees by the end of the year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The Children's Institute treats pediatric patients with significant behavioral health and medical problems.
The independent medical provider reported operating losses of $1 million in 2017, $7.3 million in 2016 and $2.5 million in 2015. In 2018, officials developed a strategic plan to regain financial stability by the end of fiscal year 2023.
In the past year, the Children's Institute cut ties with its four-physician medical staff and closed a 62-bed inpatient unit.
"It's an incredible challenge to remain independent," Children's Institute President and CEO Wendy Ann Pardee, PhD, told the Post-Gazette. "We serve a very specialized group of kids."