Signs in the Watsonville Community Hospital lobby. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz
Watsonville Community Hospital understands upheaval and change – and we are ready to meet new challenges from Washington to protect and serve our patients.
I am the CEO for both Pajaro Valley Health Care District and Watsonville Community Hospital, and I want people to know our team is ready to take on the tests new Washington leadership is imposing on us.
That includes harsher immigration policies, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now directed to increase arrests. It also includes the removal of a policy protecting “sensitive locations” like schools, places of worship and hospitals from enforcement actions.
But we at the Pajaro Valley Health Care District are ready – and we know something about digging in and coming together as a community. When we took ownership of the hospital in 2022, we inherited a $30 million operating loss. Since then, with community support and operational changes, we’ve trimmed those losses to less than $1 million, accelerating the path to financial recovery faster than most thought possible.
Now, we face new obstacles that will again test our community.
In response, our hospital is reaffirming our commitment to serve everyone, regardless of background, identity, beliefs or immigration status. We’ve posted signs to designate public and private spaces to limit interruptions to care and are educating staff on how to handle visits from immigration officials.
I personally want people to know Watsonville Community Hospital is a place of healing for everyone, and I will ensure it remains that way.
Increased federal immigration enforcement has caused fear and anxiety in our community, which has cascading impacts on the local economy and health care. Fear can lead people to stop seeking health care services, and when that happens, people get sicker. Local employers may be impacted by higher rates of employee sick days, and more importantly, people’s health will suffer. Thankfully, we have not yet seen community members avoiding coming to our emergency department, which is seeing 100 patients per day since Inauguration Day compared to about 95 patients per day before, driven primarily by a peaking of our local influenza season.
But the stories are there. A new father was leaving the hospital after his wife gave birth and stopped, standing frozen in the hallway when he saw a uniformed hospital security guard. He thought it was an ICE officer. He proceeded only after staff assured the family they were safe. New moms are suddenly not attending important postpartum support classes. Before Jan. 20, those classes would have had between 12 and 18 new moms and babies plus a handful of new dads and even grandparents. Now, we are seeing one to four moms and babies.
It’s important for these new parents to get the breastfeeding and social support that is important to the health of the babies, and I encourage them to attend.
Access to health care and health information is a fundamental right, but new leadership in Washington is challenging this. Key health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health have been directed to scale back research and communications, limiting access to crucial information for health care organizations across the country. The U.S. also plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization, increasing our vulnerability to infectious disease outbreaks and hindering our ability to predict and respond to global health emergencies.
Recent federal attempts to cut vital human services funding would destabilize the safety net that supports the most vulnerable among us. While federal courts have halted these actions, the response locally has been one of unity.
Stephen Gray, CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital. Credit: Hillary Ojeda / Lookout Santa Cruz
I’m inspired by the determination shown by our many partners – health care providers, local government and private and community-based organizations. Over 150 community leaders and advocates joined a recent online forum to discuss resources, partnership and the role of local law enforcement agencies should ICE start regularly coming to our community. The sense of passion and collaboration was palpable.
Together, we are committed to supporting those we serve. I look forward to continuing to engage with the community as we navigate the waters of the coming years together.
Stephen Gray is the chief executive officer of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District and Watsonville Community Hospital.