Dell Childrens to Close Pediatric Hospice Program
The hospital is ending its home-based hospice services in Austin at the end of October.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Children’s Health
Dell Children's Medical Center is shutting down its pediatric Hospice at Home program on October 31, 2026. This move leaves Central Texas without any remaining providers for in-home pediatric hospice care.
Why it matters
The closure forces families to transition from home-based care to an outpatient clinical setting for end-of-life support. With no other local hospitals currently offering similar pediatric programs, this change creates a significant gap in regional medical services.
Official statistics indicate that 60.1% of children requiring hospice or palliative care rely on Medicaid for coverage. Meanwhile, the Abigail E. Keller Foundation is currently pursuing a $6 million funding goal to establish a new pediatric palliative care and hospice center.
The players
Dell Children's Medical Center
This is a specialized pediatric hospital in Austin that provides a range of medical services to children across Central Texas.
Abigail E. Keller Foundation
This organization is a non-profit dedicated to supporting pediatric palliative care and developing dedicated respite facilities.
The details
The hospital has created individualized transition plans for all enrolled children to move them into its Comprehensive Care Clinic. While Hospice Austin serves the region, it currently lacks a pediatric-specific program, and other local facilities like St. David's Children's Hospital do not provide this service.
Timeline
The Hospice at Home program originally opened in 2022.
The program is scheduled to close on October 31, 2026.
Health Landscape
The closure reflects broader systemic difficulties in maintaining pediatric hospice infrastructure, as seen through the lens of the Medicaid pediatric palliative care coverage mandate. This program's end marks a significant contraction in highly specialized end-of-life care options for families in the region.
Families currently receiving home-based hospice care must now coordinate with hospital staff to transition to an outpatient clinic setting. This shift may require significant changes to daily health routines and travel requirements for those previously receiving end-of-life care at home.
The takeaway
The end of this program underscores the critical need for alternative pediatric hospice support structures in the region. Families affected by this change should prioritize direct communication with their care coordinators to ensure continuity of medical services.
Further reading
Learn more about the current landscape of care in Austin Children’s Health.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Austin American-Statesman.
