Pediatric Interim Care Center in Kent receives funding to keep the doors open

After facing possible closure due to state budget cuts, the Kent clinic, Pediatric Interim Care Center or PICC, will continue to care for newborns.

Included in the state’s operating budget that Gov. Chris Gregoire signed last week, is dedicated funding for the clinic.  Also known as “the newborn nursery,” PICC  provides life-saving care for drug-exposed and medically fragile newborns as an alternative to hospitalization.

Funding for PICC was a top priority for state Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D – Des Moines, whose district includes the west half of Kent where the clinic  is located.

“PICC  provides compassionate care for medically-fragile babies, but it also saves  taxpayers money. The same kind of care in a hospital setting would cost the state much more, and that’s why it’s so important to continue our support for this one-of-a-kind clinic,” Upthegrove stated in a press release.

Upthegrove’s office received numerous letters of support from local physicians attesting that the majority of infants referred to PICC would require hospital stays of days or even weeks if not for PICC’s round-the-clock care.

PICC’s staff also provided Upthegrove’s office with examples of how the clinic is saving the state money.  One was the case of a baby named Sarah, who had been prenatally exposed to heroin and crystal meth. She needed 24-hour monitoring and special care to ease her through the effects of withdrawal, a process that typically takes about 30 days.  In a hospital, the level of care Sarah required would cost between $2700 and $3700 per day. At PICC, Sarah’s care, formula, clothing, transportation and social work support cost the state a mere $162 per day.

This is not the first time PICC’s dedicated state support has been in jeopardy.

Two years ago, legislators considered eliminating PICC’s funding as they worked to close a shortfall in the 2009-2011 budget.  The state provides 60 percent of PICC’s support, without which the clinic would most likely shut its doors.  Then, as now, Upthegrove made the case that PICC’s services are a net savings to the state, and the funding was ultimately preserved.