Fortuna hospital to lose obstetrics
Mayor Sue Long: ‘Community services should be prioritized over profits’
Citing “declining birth volumes” and the “county-wide loss of women’s services physicians,” St. Joseph Hospital announced its plan to discontinue its obstetrics program at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna on July 1. The decision comes after years of public outcry from the Fortuna and Southern Humboldt communities, fearing the loss of potentially life-saving services.
Roberta Luskin-Hawk, the chief executive for St. Joseph Health in Humboldt County acknowledged that it was a difficult decision but said, “Operationally, it’s been very challenging to support both programs.”
“The decision to transition services was not taken lightly and we know this is nobody’s preference,” Luskin-Hawk said in a press statement. “However, this is a trend that is happening across the country in rural communities. By focusing services at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, we will be able to recruit
additional physicians, enhance the hospital as a robust regional medical center, build upon an award-winning program and develop a service line that will be recognized as a center of excellence, while supporting the important role of Redwood Memorial Hospital as a Critical Access Hospital.”
Fortuna Mayor Sue Long said she is “extremely disappointed in this decision and the disservice it does to the citizens of the Eel River Valley and Southern Humboldt.”
“Since Jan. 1, 2021, there have been four emergency cases handled by doctors in the Fortuna OB department that would have cost lives if additional travel time to Eureka had been necessary,” Long told the Times-Standard on Friday afternoon. “I am still gathering information, but my understanding is that OB departments typically are not profitable. With that being said, it is still a service that is critical to communities and community services should be prioritized over profits by large corporations. There is a lot of information that is not being shared by the hospital administration that needs to be discussed.”
Reached by phone on Friday afternoon, obstetrics physician Dr. Stephanie Dittmer told the TimesStandard she believed the Southern Humboldt community would be better served by maintaining obstetric services at Redwood Memorial Hospital.
“I’m concerned about the impact on pregnant moms and their babies, not having access to timely services and having to travel further distances,” Dittmer said. “I’m concerned that moms and babies traveling from Southern Humboldt who have medical problems that develop quickly need to access the services here at our hospital.”
Unlike other areas of medicine, Dittmer said obstetrics is a field where health care systems generally lose money.
“(The hospital) actually spends more money to take care of pregnant moms than (it retains from) insurance. So, it’s an easy target. I think there’s a lot of concern about making sure that patients are safe and that babies are safe from the physician and community perspective,” she said.
St. Joseph Hospital evaluated the sustainability of obstetrics care at Redwood Memorial Hospital in 2013 and partnered with St. Joseph Health (now Providence-St. Joseph Health) to recruit a physician with
training in obstetrics and gynecology, according to a statement shared by St. Joseph spokesperson Christian Hill.
“Despite that effort and the addition of family physicians with obstetric privileges to Open Door Community Health Centers, the community once again faces challenges with the loss of women’s services physicians and support staff across Humboldt County and the gradual decline of deliveries. Consolidation will further address provider shortage in the county and allow resources to be better allocated at (Redwood Memorial Hospital),” the statement said.
The services were statemandated as a condition of the approval of the merger between St. Joseph Health and Providence Health systems. Under the agreement, women and children’s health care services were required to be provided through June 2021.
One year ago, mounting community concern led the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to send a letter to state Attorney General Xavier Becerra seeking to extend services. Additionally, a petition calling for Becerra to intervene garnered more than 1,000 signatures.
“Without a legal requirement to maintain these vital health services, the entire
Eel River Valley will struggle to provide emergency care for women and children in our community. Patients from the most southern parts of Humboldt County would need to travel an additional 30 minutes to the St. Joseph Eureka hospital while suffering in an emergency. This could mean the difference between life and death for many of our community members in the event of a health emergency,” the petition stated.
Responding to the Times-Standard question on potential impacts to the Southern Humboldt community, Hill said, “Drive time for moms who delivered at (Redwood Memorial) from 2015-2019 will increase by an average of 15 minutes by now delivering at (St. Joseph Hospital).”
Google Maps states there is an estimated travel time of 30 minutes between Redwood Memorial and St. Joseph Hospital.
“The reality is that there are a lot of family medicine physicians that could help out in this circumstance and were recruited to this area to do so but for some unknown reason, unlike other areas of Providence, we are not able to help in that same way,” Dittmer said.
Mad River Community Hospital spokesperson Pamela Floyd told the
Times-Standard the hospital is “saddened to hear about the elimination of the birthing services at Redwood Memorial.”
“It is unfortunate that a large health care system from outside of the area has made sweeping decisions that impact the local community,” Floyd said. “Our two hospitals play similar roles within the community. Mad River Community Hospital and Redwood Memorial are small and essential rural hospitals tasked with providing services to all of those who come to us for care.”
“Our commitment to women’s choice has not and will not waiver,” Floyd added.
St. Joseph Hospital said consolidating the programs “will further ensure toptier obstetric and gynecological providers will be on hand to support moms and babies,” according to the statement. “(Redwood Memorial) caregivers affected by the transition will be offered comparable positions within the obstetrics program at SJE. No layoffs are anticipated related to the consolidation.”
The hospital also announced plans to renovate the existing obstetrics unit, construction will be completed this summer.