STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — One of the last day care providers for medically fragile children in Georgia is shutting down.
Five locations are closing in the state which include in facilities in Tucker, Smyrna and Stockbridge.
Many parents learned of the news when they dropped their children off and saw a sign on the door or from the bus driver who came to pick up their child.
Nurses and therapists also told Channel 2's Lucie they have to find new jobs. The day care provider said they had no choice but to shut it down.
Tamika Taylor's 4-year-old son Brycen has been getting one-on-one care at Pediatria Healthcare in Stockbridge for a year and half.
In less than 60 days, that will end.
"It's just sad," Taylor said. "This is the last medically fragile day care company in the state of Georgia; after this closes down there will be nothing left
Pediatria Healthcare is based in Norcross and they have five locations in Georgia.
President Joe Harrelson told Lucie on Monday that they went from more than 200 children down to 40.
"Under Georgia Medicaid's recently enforced medically fragile day care guidelines, the number of children receiving care in our Georgia centers has decreased to the point that the centers are no longer financially feasible," Harrelson said.
Right now, parents are trying to work out in-home nursing care for their children.
But parents told Lucie that the closures are a huge loss for them because their children were being taken care of.
Parents said the centers were also a support system for other parents going through the same thing.
"They are forcing us to bring our children and have them be taken care of at home," Taylor said.
Lucie contacted the Georgia Department of Community Health which oversees Medicaid.
They sent him a statement saying, "DCH is working alongside the provider to transition all children to in-home skilled nursing support services. (DCH) is taking all necessary steps to ensure that the parents and guardians are connected to and able to access the full scope of Medicaid services available to their children."
Taylor told Lucie while care at home is nice it's not as reliable as a day care center for a working parent.
WSBTV
