St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in North Philly announces layoffs ahead of kidney transplant program closure

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St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is eliminating 30 staff positions as the health facility faces “significant financial and operational pressures,” officials announced Tuesday.

Health systems in Philadelphia and across the country face impending federal cuts to Medicaid, a health insurance program for people with low incomes, starting next January.

About 85% of pediatric patients at St. Christopher’s in North Philadelphia have Medicaid insurance.

“To ensure St. Christopher’s can continue serving as an irreplaceable resource for children and families across our region, we have made difficult but necessary operational and workforce changes to strengthen the hospital’s long-term future,” hospital leaders said in a statement.

The layoffs’ impact on patient care will primarily be contained to the hospital’s kidney transplant program, which is closing due to “very low” patient volume — the program performed only two procedures in 2025, officials said.

“These decisions were made with great care and were not taken lightly,” officials said. “Throughout this process, we have focused on protecting access to high-quality patient care and ensuring St. Christopher’s can continue serving children and families in our community for generations to come.”

St. Christopher’s is jointly owned and operated by Tower Health and Drexel University.