Watsonville Community Hospital may close its labor and delivery and Neonatal Intensive Care units early next year to steady its budget.
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board of Directors, which oversees the hospital, voted 3-2 Wednesday to issue a 120-day closure notice.
As federal cuts loom large, the board reasoned it has no choice. It must plan to roll back some services so the entire hospital doesn’t close in a matter of months.
Watsonville nurse Louise Pearse says childbirth is complicated—and so is the idea of pivoting to the nearest clinic.
"A lot of our patients couldn't afford ambulance transport, I imagine," said Pearse. "Some of our patients walk in, in labor."
In a statement, interim hospital CEO Tim Moran says his team is pursuing “every reasonable opportunity” to secure funding to stave off the cuts, including grants and partnerships.
Some from the board and public wanted the vote delayed until after the November election. But staff say any financial relief that gets unlocked would arrive too close to an approaching fiscal cliff.
The board has to approve the cuts once more before they take effect.
