Families with children receiving vital therapies at Arlington Pediatric Therapy are facing uncertainty following the announcement that Lurie Children’s Hospital plans to shut down the facility on August 15.
The hospital, which acquired the 43-year-old independent practice earlier this year, has cited the opening of a new outpatient center in Schaumburg as the reason for this decision.
Lurie Children’s will be introducing a new 75,000-square-foot medical center that will provide primary care, laboratory services, orthotics and prosthetics, and an ambulatory infusion center.
Families learned about the upcoming closure through a letter indicating the difficult decision to close the therapy practice. The letter urged parents to utilize a cost estimate tool as they transition to the new facility, which will not offer aqua therapy, a critical service for many children, including those with special needs.
Elizabeth Berenz, a Highland Park mother, expressed her dismay over the news, particularly concerning her 7-year-old son Arthur, who has a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. In the warm-water therapy pool at Arlington Pediatric Therapy, Arthur is able to experience buoyancy, allowing him to move around in a way that transforms his experience.
“It’s like a different world when he’s in the pool,” Berenz stated. “It’s magical for him.”
Berenz has been utilizing physical therapy services for Arthur since he was an infant and has developed a close bond with his aqua therapist. The closing of the facility has left her worried about finding alternative care that accepts their insurance and provides the same quality of aqua therapy Arthur has come to rely on.
Another concerned parent, Lauren Hutchins from Arlington Heights, described the closure as a “gut punch.” Her daughter, Vera, has been at Arlington Pediatric Therapy since she was three months old to address developmental delays caused by a genetic mutation.
Hutchins reflected on how Vera was able to meet important milestones, such as crawling at 15 months and walking at 2 years, thanks to the weekly therapies she received.
“It’s just on her own timeline,” she said, expressing her fears that a change in payment structure at the new facility could jeopardize Vera’s progress.
Vera receives multiple therapies in a single visit, which is critical because her insurance limits her to only 60 covered visits per year after a deductible. Hutchins noted that any changes in the pricing or structure of the therapies could disrupt her daughter’s care.
“As a mother, it keeps me up at night worrying about all these unknowns,” Hutchins confided.
Jenna Jones, a registered nurse whose daughter Sofia received therapy at Arlington Pediatric Therapy post-heart surgery, echoed similar sentiments about the importance of the facility in their journeys.
Jones, who has seen dramatic improvements in her daughter’s recovery thanks to the dedicated staff, expressed concern for her nephews, who also receive therapy at the facility.
The outcry from families highlights the high demand for services at Arlington Pediatric Therapy, with an employee estimating that at least 700 pediatric clients a week benefit from its programs.
As Lurie Children’s Hospital declines to confirm specifics about staffing cuts or the number of affected clients, families continue to seek clarity on future support options.
“Closing a facility that’s popular with hundreds of families doesn’t make any sense,” Hutchins lamented.
Families are left grappling with the implications of the closure on their children’s care, emphasizing the importance of continuity in therapy for children with special needs.
As parents continue to navigate the potential fallout from the transition, the sense of uncertainty looms large over their community.
image source from：https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/06/13/lurie-childrens-hospital-arlington-heights-pediatric-therapy-practice
