Rutland Regional Medical Center Announces Transition in Pediatric Inpatient Services

New Service Delivery Model Will Improve Pediatric Care, Better Meet Community Needs and Save Hospital Resources

Rutland, VT – Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) today announced a planned transition in how it delivers pediatric care, ensuring children and families in our community continue to receive high-quality, compassionate services in the most appropriate setting. This shift will allow us to realign resources, support our staff, and ensure high-quality pediatric care remains available at RRMC. Additionally, the redesign will further enhance RRMC’s commitment to gynecological, obstetric and newborn care.  

Over the past several years, the number of children requiring hospital stays longer than 24 hours has declined significantly - both in Rutland and across the nation. Most young patients today receive the care they need safely through emergency visits, outpatient clinics, or short observation stays. In response to this, RRMC will be transitioning away from operating inpatient pediatric beds and focus its resources on providing improved pediatric care in appropriate settings as community needs continue to evolve.

“Rutland Regional remains committed to the health and wellbeing of our community’s children,” said Judi Fox, CEO of Rutland Regional Medical Center. “This change allows us to continue offering excellent pediatric care while demonstrating our commitment to affordability, expanding access, and delivering high-quality care. It reflects our response to the evolving needs of patients today, as we move toward fewer hospital stays and more outpatient and community-based care options”.

Currently, RRMC maintains five licensed, pediatric beds within its Women’s and Children’s Unit. However, nearly two-thirds of pediatric patients go home within a day, and nearly 50% of the time, the pediatric beds are unoccupied. This mirrors national trends showing fewer children require extended hospital stays. As cost pressures increase and healthcare funding decreases across the health care system in Vermont, maintaining specialized inpatient services that are rarely used is not an efficient use of staff or resources.

Under the proposed model, RRMC’s Emergency Department, recognized nationally with the Pediatric Readiness Innovator Award, will continue to serve as a cornerstone for local pediatric care, with several rooms prioritized for young patients needing observation. Adolescent patients who meet certain criteria will be cared for in other inpatient units, and routine outpatient and surgical services will continue to handle same-day and short-stay care. For children needing more specialized or extended treatment, RRMC will transfer patients to regional partners such as the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) and are working to include Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center as well under pediatric patient transfer agreements. In some cases, utilizing expanded critical care transport options, UVMMC will be responsible for providing transport for emergent pediatric patients through the UVM Health Critical Care Transport Team.

In response to the hospital’s change in pediatric service delivery, Alison Davis, MD, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at RRMC said “Our providers, nurses and staff will continue to deliver high quality, well-coordinated care to pediatric and adolescent patients in our communities.” 

RRMC’s care coordination and social work teams will continue to partner with local organizations, including the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), Community Health, and the Department for Children and Families (DCF), to ensure smooth discharges and follow-up care.

“This plan reflects RRMC’s ongoing commitment to affordability, access, and quality,” Fox added. “By evolving our pediatric services to meet today’s realities, we’re ensuring that families in the Rutland region continue to receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.”

About Rutland Regional Medical Center: Rutland Regional Medical Center is the largest community hospital in Vermont and is supported by a medical staff of more than 300 physicians, nurse practitioners and advanced practice providers trained in 40 specialty areas. The 145-bed hospital is supported by approximately 1,700 employees. With a strong patient-centered focus, consistent quality performance, and award-winning care, RRMC remains dedicated to improving the health of families and individuals throughout portions of southern and central Vermont and communities in eastern New York State with preventative, diagnostic, acute and rehabilitative services.