To The Editor:

 I have been informed by my physician colleagues at Sharon Hospital that there is a movement by the hospital administration Nuvance Health, to close labor and delivery, abolish after hours operative services, close the ICU, and subsequently stop on call OB GYN coverage for the emergency department at Sharon Hospital. As a board certified Emergency Medicine physician who worked at Sharon Hospital ED from 2016-2019, I strongly believe this proposal carried out by hospital administration would severely jeopardize the healthcare of both women and their unborn child, put additional burden on an already overworked and overwhelmed ER staff, and lower the overall quality of health care in the Northwest Corner.

 Sharon Hospital is an important foundation for healthcare in the rural northwest corner of Connecticut. This is especially true for pregnant women. Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful and exciting times for a woman, but it is also a time period where there are many medical complications that need to be managed often emergently and under the care of a residency trained, OB GYN physician who can provide definitive care for both mother and child. For many years now the local community around Sharon Hospital has been blessed with a team of gifted OB GYN physician and nurses who could provide that definitive care locally. During my time working as an Emergency Medicine physician at Sharon, I was so glad to have these trained professional one call away to help manage sick pregnant women who would present with complications to the ED. Due to the remote location of Sharon Hospital and the 45 min to 1+ hour transport time (weather permitting) to a larger hospital, the ability to provide definitive care to pregnant women is absolutely crucial and life saving. This level of care can only be provided by an OB GYN physician with the help of trained and experienced labor and delivery nurses. When things go wrong during pregnancy they often go wrong quickly and minutes count. Not having OB GYN/Labor and Delivery coverage at the hospital will directly lead to poor outcomes for pregnant women in the community and drastically worsen the quality of care in the Northwest corner.

 Next week on October 18th there is a public hearing with the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) that is responsible for approving or denying these proposed cuts to Sharon Hospital. Written and oral testimony can be submitted to the OHS board before then. Please visit www.savesharonhospital.org for more information on participating. Lets work together as a community to maintain the excellent level of healthcare provided at Sharon Hospital. People's lives literally depend on it.

 Sincerely,

Si Hyung Woo MD
Board Certified Physician
Emergency Medicine

“I oppose the closure of the Maternity Unit and other vital services at Sharon Hospital. On August 18th, 2021, I suffered a complete placenta abruption and was in preterm labor. My son and I are only alive today because of my close proximity to the hospital and the amazing skills of Dr. Mortman and his team. I was rushed into an emergency c-section, delivering my son 6 weeks early. Time was of the essence that day. I knew from the moment that I woke up bleeding internally, that I couldn't wait for an ambulance. Because I was home alone, I drove myself to the hospital.  The team at Sharon Hospital jumped into action the moment I arrived. If I had traveled to a hospital farther away or was transferred via ambulance from Sharon Hospital, I would have certainly begun to hemorrhage in my car or in the ambulance, bled internally, resulting in the loss my of own life and/or the life of my son.

Every day I look at my son as a miracle. We are both still alive. I will forever be grateful for Dr. Mortman and his team. It is very scary to think this just happened a few months ago. It's very scary to think that friends who are just finding out they are pregnant will have to travel, putting their lives and the lives of their unborn children at risk. Rural communities deserve the peace of mind in knowing they are close enough to a medical facility if an emergency, such as mine, were to occur. I believe the lives of mothers and babies are worth far more than any amount of money gained by closing these essential community services.”

-Rebecca, Wingdale, NY