June 16th, 2018 by WCBC Radio

The Cumberland Times News reports the Western Maryland Health System will close its inpatient pediatric unit this summer because of a decline in admission rates, something officials at a Thursday meeting called a “trend” in U.S. hospitals.

James Karstetter II, the health system’s vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer, along with 10 local pediatricians, addressed community concerns over the upcoming closure during a public meeting held at the hospital’s auditorium on Thursday night. 

According to Karstetter, 86 pediatrics patients were admitted to the health system’s Western Maryland Regional Medical Center in 2017.