UCI Health Rehires Critical Care Workers After Closing Fountain Valley Pediatric Units

35 nurses laid off when the pediatric department and PICU shut down without warning in March have been offered their jobs back

UCI Health has rehired the critical care workers it laid off when it abruptly closed the pediatric department and PICU at its Fountain Valley hospital last month, reversing a decision that drew immediate backlash from nurses and community members.

UCI Health has rehired the critical care workers it laid off last month when it abruptly shut down the pediatric department and pediatric intensive care unit at its Fountain Valley hospital, according to reporting from the Orange County Register.

The closure came without warning on March 23. Thirty-five nurses received layoff notices the same day UCI Health announced a systemwide "strategic restructuring" that eliminated roughly 150 positions across the health system. The stated reasons were shifts in federal funding and changes to insurance reimbursement rates.

For Fountain Valley, the impact was immediate. The pediatric units at 17100 Euclid St. had handled 274 PICU admissions and 465 pediatric admissions in 2025. With those units gone, families needing pediatric intensive care faced a drive of roughly 45 minutes to reach the nearest alternative facility.

The California Nurses Association and National Nurses United publicly demanded that UCI Health reinstate the 35 nurses and reopen both units. Nurses held a rally on April 1 to press their case.

UCI Health has now reversed course and offered the critical care workers their jobs back.

UCI Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the pediatric units will reopen alongside the rehiring.