Petaluma Valley Hospital and Family Birthing Center Update
IMAGE: PRESS DEMOCRAT
In January 2021, Healthy Petaluma sold Petaluma Valley Hospital (PVH) to NorCal HealthConnect, a secular subsidiary of Providence. The purchase agreement — approved by the community in the November 2020 election — required Providence to maintain PVH as an acute care hospital with emergency services for a minimum of 20 years except for its Family Birthing Center (FBC), which “shall be maintained for a minimum of five years” following the sale.
Despite this, Providence announced the impending closure of the FBC, effective May 1, 2023, citing a lack of anesthesia and OB-GYN physician coverage Providence said it planned to transition its OB-GYN coverage to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Providence’s unilateral closure of the FBC violated the purchase agreement, which required the hospital operator to obtain the approval of our board if it wished to close the FBC before December 31, 2025. Nothing in the agreement tied Providence’s FBC commitment to its operating costs. Therefore, after lengthy consideration, our board unanimously rejected Providence’s request to close the FBC, citing a lack of justifying evidence and inadequate responses to the board’s concerns.
Despite this, the FBC closed on May 1, 2023, and remains closed.
Exploring ways to reopen the FBC
Closing the only maternity unit between San Rafael and Santa Rosa — which impacted GYN services, not just deliveries — demanded that all other options be exhausted. Thanks to a process outlined in the purchase agreement to address a request for early FBC closure, an ad hoc committee of our board has been meeting with Providence leadership to explore ways to reopen it.
At a special meeting of our board on January 23, 2024, Providence leadership reported that it would indeed be possible to reopen the FBC and that it has been seeking proposals for both anesthesia and OB-GYN coverage. However, due to recruitment challenges and a host of operational issues, reopening would take at least six months and the service model would be markedly different from before the closure. Low projected birth rates and Providence’s ability to close the unit in 3 years pose a challenge to recruiting and retaining staff.
Reopen the FBC? Or substitute an alternative community benefit?
Also at our January 23 board meeting, Providence asked us to consider alternatives to reopening the FBC. In short, Providence said it could invest in new or expanded services based on community need — such as behavioral health, an urgent care center and outpatient women’s health services — in lieu of reopening the FBC. Our board asked Providence to deliver a formal plan for the specific services it proposes, showing their community benefits. Providence also asked us to propose our own alternatives to reopening the FBC.
It is critical that any consideration of the FBC or possible alternatives serve the community well. For this, we need community input. We invite all community members who depend on our health care services to attend upcoming board meetings (in-person or by Zoom) to hear the discussion about the FBC and proposed alternatives. Written comments will also be heard at these meetings.
Please join us and provide meaningful information to help our board and Providence to pursue services and investments that serve our community best.
