A Midwife at St. Luke’s
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Testimony: Prop Q Hearing on the CPMC proposal for
closure of the NICU at SLH
San Francisco Public Health
Commission December 4, 2007
Good Afternoon Health Commissioners. My name is Julie
Sherwood; I am a midwife at St. Luke’s Hospital.
Equitable healthcare that crosses socio-economic divisions
is an admirable goal to strive for and is recognized as a fundamental human
right. SLH Obstetric service has met and surpassed that goal, providing
equitable healthcare to SF's most vulnerable population right in their
neighborhood. Continuing to further threaten this essential service is
unacceptable. SLH have become a steadfast and trustworthy source of care for an
at risk, underserved population as well as a privately insured, more privileged
population delivering mom's from as far away as Marin to as close as the Mission
neighborhood. Our patients need us, they love us, and they choose us.
Each of our providers is dedicated to the philosophy and
foundation of SLH. Our identity is defined, in part by bringing community based,
midwifery-centered, integrated care to an at risk area. Our hospital is unique
in that each patient has access to a midwife-OB team dedicated not only to the
safe delivery of healthy babies, but to the empowerment of the women and
families we serve. Our patients know this and trust this and deserve to have
easy access to this.
Our C-section rate fluctuates between 13
-19%. Our epidural rate is well below 50%. It is our
attentive, customized care that yields the excellent outcomes and stellar
reputation that has twice earned us 1st place in Sutter Health's 'First
Pregnancy and Delivery' data collection in all of California.
Despite several cutbacks as described by my colleagues, we
have continued to provide safe and exceptional care to our patients. The level
of care dictated by the new proposal is the bare minimum we can accept in order
to uphold our promise to our patients and community to care for its mothers and
babies.
I am saddened that financial necessity alone is driving
choices that are drastically impacting individual patients; their families, and
the community at large. SF is one of the most progressive cities in our nation -
it is here and now that we must rethink how we deliver healthcare to our women
and children, especially those in underserved populations. The division of
services and lack of continuity to the detriment of our city's most vulnerable
is not the solution I would hope for. SLH has been a leader and model for the
true integration of healthcare and in an era when healthcare reform is at the
forefront of the national agenda, what we have achieved at SLH is worthy of
applause, protection, and investment.
Thank you.
Julie Sherwood CMN
St. Luke’s Hospital
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