SILVERDALE, Wash. — Parents in Kitsap County are protesting the planned closure of a critical clinic that provides specialized care for hundreds of children with disabilities, saying they have few alternatives and even fewer answers.
St. Michael Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic, which serves more than 200 families, is set to close April 24. The clinic’s patients include children with cerebral palsy and other conditions requiring intensive therapy.
In a letter to families, St. Michael Medical Center President Chad Melton cited “significant financial pressures including rising labor and supply costs, chronic underpayment from Medicare and Medicaid” as factors forcing the closure. He also referenced pressure from President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”…