PORTLAND, Ore. — Providence St. Vincent Medical Center will permanently shut down its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the first week of November. The hospital announced the closure plan Tuesday, pointing to consistently low patient occupancy rates as the primary cause.

The four-bed unit was empty for 155 days in 2024, according to a news release from the hospital, and typically only had one patient on the days when it wasn't empty.

The closure is the latest in a series of cuts to the Providence health care system this year, including a round of 134 Oregon layoffs and 170 western Washington layoffs in June, followed by another round of 128 Oregon layoffs in August.

Last month, Providence also announced the closure of multiple clinics and programs in eastern Washington and

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