Quick Take
Watsonville Community Hospital is considering closing its maternity and newborn care units, raising concerns among doctors and nurses about the risks to mothers and babies. Dr. Madhu Raghavan, a pediatrician who has practiced in Watsonville for 39 years, says longer travel times could put families at risk. She urges the hospital board to give Measure E a chance to bring in new county funding before making a final decision. Raghavan also calls for exploring other funding sources to keep these essential services open.
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As a pediatrician who has worked in Watsonville for 39 years, including 30 years at Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) attending to high- risk deliveries and in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), I have seen firsthand the importance of accessible, high-quality care for mothers and babies.
We cannot let Watsonville Hospital close its maternity units.
Lookout’s Oct. 23 editorial supporting Measure E speaks to our community’s values, and I appreciate the sincere thought behind your support for Measure E.
WATSONVILLE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL: Read more Lookout news and Community Voices opinion coverage here
We’re at a critical juncture regarding the potential closure of maternity and newborn care at WCH.
The two town halls — the Oct. 22 meeting held by WCH’s board and administration and the Oct. 24 meeting held by the nurses — as covered by Lookout correspondent Tania Ortiz brought out clearly and passionately the staff’s deep concerns about unplanned labor and delivery emergencies arriving at WCH’s ER, increased ambulance transfers, higher risks to maternal and neonatal health and deaths.
Staff also voiced concerns about the inevitable longer travel times, difficulties and costs for a vulnerable population made up of low-income, largely farmworker and agriculture-related communities in South County Santa Cruz, northern Monterey and parts of San Benito counties.
March of Dimes, the national nonprofit promoting healthy moms and babies, states, “The U.S is facing an urgent maternal and infant health crisis — but together with our partners and supporters we can end preventable maternal health risks and death, end preventable preterm labor and close the health equity gap for every family.”
Its perinatal statistics report says, “Residents of maternity care deserts travel an average of 42 minutes to reach Labor and Delivery (L&D) services, three times longer than those in full-access counties (of 14 minutes).”
That will be our new, stark reality if the maternity unit and Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at WCH are shut down.
The rate of preterm births — babies born before 37 full weeks of pregnancy, often weighing less than 2 kilograms, or about 4½ pounds — was close to 9% among Latinx women in 2022-24, compared with 7.5% among white women. Such babies, as well as babies who experience complications such as a tight umbilical cord around the neck or large or “stuck” shoulders, a condition called shoulder dystocia, face higher risks.
When complications arise, minutes matter.
Babies need to be delivered safely and skillfully to reduce the risk of respiratory distress, infections, metabolic issues, seizures and even death in the neonatal period. Some also face long-term complications, including neurodevelopmental issues and problems with their lungs, heart or kidneys. Mothers can face excess vaginal bleeding, ectopic pregnancies, complications with twins, uterine rupture and other serious risks.
To prevent and manage such complications, it is best to have a hospital with a maternity unit within a 30-minute drive, a NICU and intensive care unit (ICU), as well as trained physicians and staff, an emergency room, radiology and other needed services such as pharmacy and a laboratory.
Premature babies often stay in our intensive care nursery for more than two weeks, receiving specialized care to maintain and monitor their temperature, breathing, fluids, jaundice and feeding. Specialist registered nurses (RNs) also help mothers breastfeed their babies through much of that stay.
Roseann Farris, an ICU nurse who has worked at WCH for 30 years, emphasized the need to “put people first” at the town hall. As noted in The Pajaronian, she said closing the NICU could accelerate the closure of the OB department through increased clinical risks, loss of revenue and the departure of skilled doctors and nurses.
The consequences could affect our community’s health for decades.
I have the greatest respect for the highly skilled and compassionate L&D/NICU staff and the ER and other physicians and staff at WCH. They receive regular high-quality training and certification in neonatal and advanced life support, fetal monitoring and other essential areas through Stanford University and Good Samaritan hospitals.
We need to keep and protect them.
Sandra Morioka and Silvia Perez, both longtime RNs at the NICU, shared their deep concerns about the frightening consequences of closure, including out-of-hospital deliveries caused by long travel distances and babies born in compromised condition, without a fair shot at growth and life.
Carmin Powell, a pediatrician and medical director of Stanford’s Pediatric Hospitalist program at WCH, reminded the board that laboring patients will still come to the hospital seeking care.
“You, as board members, have to decide that women and children are worth fighting for,” said Myrna Mungal, a pediatric hospitalist at WCH. With tears brimming, she added, “Do not allow only the privileged to survive childbirth.”
Dr. Andrew Harkins, also a pediatric hospitalist, shared similar compelling sentiments.
California farms grow one-third of the nation’s vegetables and almost two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. California also grows 90% of all strawberries grown in the United States. Strawberries alone account for nearly 40% of that total, including berries grown by producers such as Driscoll’s and Well-Pict in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
Add in the artichokes, apples, lettuce, broccoli, greens, roses, etc.
Those who pick these crops face a number of risk factors, including intense repetitive labor while hand-harvesting, lifting and carrying boxes and other physically demanding work that can contribute to adverse health outcomes even when workers are young.
Measure E, if passed, will generate $27 million a year for county spending on healthcare, including mental health and other essential services. It expires after five years and, as noted in Lookout’s editorial, would add 50 cents to an eligible $100 purchase, except for groceries and prescription medicines.
At the first board meeting on this issue, on Sept. 22, WCH reported receiving a $10.6 million grant from a program championed by state Sen. John Laird. When these state and federal dollars are included, WCH’s daily loss — which the hospital administration said was primarily from L&D and NICU services — drops from $85,000 to $30,000.
That comes out to $900,000 a month, or about $11 million a year, which is still significant.
Such dollar figures pale in comparison to the wealth of our neighbors in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, whose influence increasingly extends into Santa Cruz. With major tech companies reporting enormous revenues, could some of these companies recognize what small farming communities such as ours are facing and help fund a service that is essential to the region’s health? Could the large berry companies perhaps help?
The many concerned physicians, nurses, educators, parents and other community members, along with me, hope that Measure E will pass.
In the meantime, we ask the board to hold off on its decision at today’s scheduled meeting — a vote of the highest importance — until the Measure E election results are available and other potential funding sources can be explored again.
Watsonville’s maternity services are not just a hospital issue. They are a regional responsibility.
We must put people first and ensure that mothers and babies have access to the care they need, regardless of their income or where they live.
Dr. Madhu Raghavan is a pediatrician who has practiced in Watsonville for 39 years. Trained in India, she has worked to improve children’s health beyond her clinical practice, including through community partnerships focused on school wellness, nutrition and physical activity. She has served as co-chair of the Pediatric Vision Group, a local collaborative addressing children’s health needs.
