Some Points Summarized.. What's Up with the Big Day to Decide Matters About Maternity (and next the ICU and So on) at Sharon Hospital in CT

CT Office of Health Strategy will hear testimony on Dec 6th with written testimony accepted through Dec 5th plus 6 days from then. So those are key dates, as in the prior post with details on how to submit that from a letter sent to the community by Friends of Sharon Hospital (with more tips and info on SaveSharonHospital.org.)

A major amount of thanks from everyone in the community is resounding for all those fighting to know and advocate for the consistent quality of care to continue at Sharon Hospital, particularly with maternity and women's services.

 I'm sure it helps to know that legal funds and more were raised and countless hours from dedicated doctors and others addressed these pressing needs.  'No stone was left unturned' ( By the way, I've written a song about Sharon CT and a key line in the chorus is 'It's where the babes are born!" I will post that (again) and also fyi, we have sound guys like Sharon CT's Graham Stone doing a lot to get the music and plays at Sharon Playhouse and pretty much every school and venue well received, so kudos to all helping make the the lines of communication clear and accessible! This is not a dress rehearsal however, and our neighbors high and low (income, education, expertise and skills) are counting on each other to rally the advocacy call like the Who's in Whoville...yes, those Who's but its the me and yous in the news this time!)

It has been about five years since Nuvance Health which oversees 7 hospitals (if I am am getting this right...) has not only discussed the idea of closing the maternity services at Sharon Hospital and offering other kinds of 'progressive care' or services that may fit their model and profit projections better, but have publicized that would be the case before having a green light to do so from the State of CT (and the regulatory office.)

There are a number of doctors and nurses who were initially committed to maintaining services and many who stayed even in the face of getting word from 'on high' that changes would be coming. Many Labor and Delivery nurses left and trave nurses and others filling in run at a higher rate of pay.

Many stellar doctors (let's say a dozen which is a lot for this area) had predicted this kind of problem and have helped lead the fight to keep services intact. That has happened ever since Sharon Hospital has been managed first as a for-profit business by Essent and then as a non-profit but still pulling in many millions yet with a loss of 3-7 million dollars linked to maternity and womens' services. There are sweeping cuts being made, many say 'for profits over people, even their very lives.' The costs and economies of the current medical system may be serving some goals, but the major issues facing the American public is to learn quickly what is happening, especially from 'fights like this one, thankfully led by coalitions of medical and community supporters and funders' all while still providing the needed services. Many personnel who work for Nuvance (or similar employers) have to agree to not speak poorly or in opposition of them to maintain their standing. Non-disclosure Agreements are legal but are they desirable? How can there be an accurate read on what people are experiencing and wanting to help create or maintain for the betterment of healthcare, not have to go along or be given a pink slip?

Some have said the  financial numbers are skewed by how things are rung up but also that some loss in that area (or maternity, even 3-8 million/year) is reasonable to keep the full service that is life-saving and complicated at times in proximity to where it is needed. One doctor spoke about the stellar care and outcomes for families using the Labor and Delivery services, including some with serious needs that arose with only minutes to address.I wrote a letter to The Lakeville Journal a few months ago after it was publicized that it was a 'done deal' that maternity was closing...and have since attended three forums, including one with a couple of hundred folks attending on the Sharon Green and speakers from CT government and others in favor of saving the maternity and other needed services (including some surgeries and the ICU.)

The risk of women's lives due to medical issues linked to being female is not what usually has made headlines but the warnings have been given in more forums about risk of ectopic pregnancies, a number of things that can go wrong and need immediate skilled care and possibly a C-section and more during labor. The care of women and their offspring is not something to skirt about or shift to ER staff, who may only get support via telemedicine if they are not clear on how to assess or address matters. Transporting patients in winter or bad weather are added concerns along with the distances people would have to travel.

Hopefully the main people who understand what is at risk have plans to write within the time period allotted and overall a community could work to support people in their preventive health and wellness needs. There will be much more to discuss if things do not go as hoped to save the unit at least for another number of years so people can plan accordingly.

Many people have weighed in and there are many 'on both sides of the issue', some feeling it's a 'do or die' situation to cut expenses as the plan has been laid out. Yet others say there are patterns of 'promising one thing and under-delivering', leaving a community that has had a full set of services managing with less and possibly only having an urgent care center with all serious medical needs addressed at hospitals 45 minutes from Sharon once on the road (and with good weather.)