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The Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board voted to close labor and delivery services at Watsonville Community Hospital, with a closure as early as March 2027.

At Ventures, a Watsonville nonprofit working for economic justice, we believe health and wealth are deeply connected. Families cannot build financial stability when access to essential care is uncertain. Safe childbirth, neonatal care when needed and timely support for newborns shape a family’s health, but also its income, its ability to hold a job, and its long-term well-being.

We don’t dismiss the hospital’s financial crisis. Reimbursement rates, cash flow and shifting policy and funding have put enormous pressure on Watsonville Community Hospital, and the board faced a hard decision. But the cost won’t be shared equally.

South Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley already face significant gaps in maternal and child health access, and Watsonville serves a disproportionately high share of Medi-Cal births. The families most affected will be low-income and immigrant families who already struggle to get care. For a mother in labor without reliable transportation, a longer drive is a medical risk. For a family living paycheck to paycheck, it can also mean lost wages and costs they can’t absorb.

The decision has been made, and the 120-day countdown has begun. The first order of business should be a formal commitment to develop and publicly share a coordinated community plan for pregnant individuals and newborns. This plan should be created in partnership with families directly impacted. 

It should prioritize equity and address transportation, continuity of care, language access, high-risk pregnancies, emergency deliveries, postpartum services and access to neonatal care. 

The planning process should begin now, not after services are reduced or eliminated. The community deserves to know and be directly involved in determining what comes next. 

Santa Cruz County has a great history of coming together across sectors. Similarly, we’ve seen the value of ensuring family voices are part of the decision-making tables.

This is the time to practice that skill.

Maria Cadenas, executive director, Ventures

Watsonville