Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. | File photo.

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We, the undersigned, are medical providers in Humboldt County invested in the care of pregnant people in our community. We want to share a message directly from us regarding the hearing held on Aug. 29, 2025 where Providence Health and Services called into question their duty to follow the California Emergency Services Law (ESL). This law guarantees care for those with a medical complication in pregnancy that results in the pregnancy no longer being able to continue.

Providence legal counsel proposed several unsafe practices during this hearing, including requiring physicians to consult an ethics board prior to providing standard medical care, delaying care until a patient is critically ill (phrased as “certain death of mother or fetus”), or transferring patients in need of urgent care to another facility more than 100 miles away.

As clinicians, we have an ethical and moral obligation to the health and safety of the pregnant person. We do not support delaying care until someone is in mortal danger or sending people away from a facility that is equipped to provide lifesaving care. We stand firmly committed to providing competent, prompt and compassionate care in these critical moments. Someone experiencing a devastating pregnancy complication should not have to worry about politics or religion affecting their care. The only people who should be involved in decisions about pregnancy complications are a patient and their medical provider.

Furthermore, we recognize the systemic classism, racism and misogyny in statements that suggest that care involving a pregnant uterus can wait. It is a medical standard that someone presenting with a critical heart attack receives immediate care. Someone suffering appendicitis or a gallbladder infection would not be told to “wait and see” if they develop sepsis before being offered antibiotics and surgery. To propose that someone suffering a pregnancy complication should wait until they are sufficiently near death before offering medical care violates our oath, our commitment to our patients and our commitment to ourselves.

Our current local hospital leadership continues to reassure us that we have their support in providing appropriate care to our community. We applaud them for this and expect that this will continue. We request ongoing community support to make sure it does.

Our goal in this message is to provide hope and clarity. The narrative in the courtroom does not reflect the standards that we believe in as your providers. We affirm our commitment to using our knowledge and skill to provide you with high quality, safe and compassionate care. We will not be distracted by outsiders, untrained in medical care, when they propose actions that cause mental and physical harm. We are honored to provide care in vulnerable moments. If a devastating complication does arise, we will be by your side to support you. Many of us have also been pregnant and have birthed our children in this community. This is our home. Our duty is to you.

Rachael Adair CNM PMHNP
Amy Alfano CNM
Ginger Bhatki CNM
Carolyn Eldridge LM
Sage Fanucchi-Funes CNM
Carrie Griffin DO
Molly Jacobs FNP
Lisa Keller MD
Marissa Kummerling MD MPH
Beth O’Brien CNM
Timothy Paik-Nicely MD
Milad Ranjbar MD
Rebecca Smith CNM
Simon Stampe MD
Stephanie Stone CNM
Tara Vu MD
Casey Weiser MD
Melissa Wilcox MD

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