Watsonville Community Hospital is a place of healing, not fear: We will meet the challenges from Washington

Lookout Santa Cruz | Community Voices | Feb. 20, 2025

Quick Take: Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Stephen Gray says the hospital is reaffirming its commitment to serving everyone, regardless of immigration status, amid new immigration regulations and other measures initiated by the Trump administration. According to Gray, the hospital is already taking steps — some of which he lists here — to limit disruptions in care and is training staff on how to handle visits from immigration officials.

Pajaro Valley Health Care District CEO vows to protect patients amid heightened enforcement

Watsonville Community Hospital understands upheaval and change, and we are ready to meet new challenges from Washington to protect and serve our patients. 

I am the CEO of Pajaro Valley Healthcare District and Watsonville Community Hospital, and I want people to know that our team is ready to take on the challenges that Washington's new leadership will throw at us. 

That includes tougher immigration policies, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now directed to increase arrests. It also includes the elimination of a policy that protects “sensitive locations” such as schools, places of worship and hospitals from police actions.

But we at Pajaro Valley Healthcare District are ready and know something about digging deep and coming together as a community. When we took ownership of the hospital in 2022, we inherited a $30 million operating loss. Since then, with community support and operational changes, we have reduced those losses to less than $1 million, accelerating the path to financial recovery faster than most thought possible. 

We now face new obstacles that will once again test our community. 

In response, our hospital reaffirms our commitment to serving everyone, regardless of background, identity, beliefs, or immigration status. We have posted signs to designate public and private spaces to limit disruptions to care and are educating staff on how to handle visits from immigration officials. 

Personally, I want people to know that Watsonville Community Hospital is a place of healing for everyone and I will make sure it remains that way.

Increased federal immigration enforcement has caused fear and anxiety in our community, which has cascading effects on the local economy and healthcare. Fear can lead people to stop seeking healthcare services, and when that happens, they get even sicker. Local employers may be impacted by higher rates of employee sick days, and more importantly, people’s health will suffer. Fortunately, we have not yet seen community members avoid coming to our emergency department, which is seeing 100 patients per day since opening day, compared to about 95 patients per day before, driven primarily by the peak of our local flu season. 

But the stories are there. A new father was leaving the hospital after his wife gave birth and stopped, frozen in the hallway, when he saw a uniformed hospital security guard. He thought it was an ICE officer. He proceeded only after staff assured the family they were safe. Suddenly, new moms aren’t attending important postpartum support classes. Before January 20, those classes would have had 12 to 18 new moms and babies, plus a handful of new fathers and even grandparents. Now we see one to four moms and babies. 

It is important for these new parents to receive the breastfeeding and social support that is important for the health of their babies, and I encourage them to attend.

Access to health care and health information is a fundamental right, but the new leadership in Washington is calling it into question. Key health agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health have been ordered to curtail research and communications, limiting access to crucial information for health care organizations across the country. The United States also plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization, which will increase our vulnerability to infectious disease outbreaks and hamper our ability to predict and respond to global health emergencies.

Recent federal attempts to cut funding for vital human services would destabilize the safety net that supports the most vulnerable among us. While federal courts have halted these actions, the local response has been one of unity. 

I am inspired by the determination shown by our many partners – health care providers, local governments, and private and community organizations. More than 150 community leaders and advocates joined a recent online forum to discuss resources, partnerships, and the role of local law enforcement agencies should ICE begin visiting our community regularly. The sense of passion and collaboration was palpable. 

Together, we are committed to supporting those we serve. I look forward to continuing to engage with the community as we navigate the waters of the coming years together.

Stephen Gray is the CEO of the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District and Watsonville Community Hospital.

Photo Credit: Hillary Ojeda, Lookout Santa Cruz