Providence St. Joseph Hospital Sued

Providence St. Joseph’s hospital in Eureka is being sued by California Attorney General Robert Bonta for denying a local Eureka woman an emergency abortion.  

The lawsuit claims the hospital violated California’s emergency services law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law, by discharging the woman rather than treating her.  

The woman says she was fifteen weeks pregnant with twins when her water broke prematurely, leaving one of the twin fetuses dead.  Doctors informed her that because the second fetus still had a detectable heartbeat, the hospital prohibited them from providing care.  Providence St. Joseph’s has a policy which prohibits doctors from providing emergency treatment if it would terminate a pregnancy, even if that pregnancy is no longer viable.

It appears that this is a hospital policy and is not due to a California law.

Attorney General Bonta says the woman was given towels by st. Joseph’s staff  “in case something happens in the car.”  The patient then went to Mad River Hospital and was treated.  since this incident in February of this year, mad river hospital shuttered its birthing center, making providence st. Joseph’s the only hospital in the area where pregnant women can receive birthing services.

Providence St. Joseph responded to Redwood News’ request for comment. A Providence spokesperson said:
“Providence is deeply committed to the health and wellness of women and pregnant patients and provides emergency services to all who walk through our doors in accordance with state and federal law. We are heartbroken over Dr. Nusslock’s experience earlier this year. This morning was the first Providence had heard of the California attorney general’s lawsuit, and we are currently reviewing the filings to understand what is being alleged. Because this case is in active litigation and due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment on the matter.  As part of our pledge to delivering safe, high-quality care, we review every event that may not have met our patient needs or expectations to understand what happened and take appropriate steps to meet those needs and expectations for every patient we encounter.”