From:

Rachel Chalmers
San Francisco 94110

Wednesday October 31 2007

To:

Martin Brotman, M.D.
2100 Webster St., #423
San Francisco, California 94115
cc:
Judy Li
Chief Administrative Officer, St. Luke's Hospital
3555 Cesar Chavez
San Francisco, CA 94110

Mitchell Katz, MD
Department of Public Health
101 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (12th district)
District Office
455 Golden Gate Ave., Suite 14600
San Francisco, CA 94102
State Assembly member Mark Leno (13th district)
District Office
455 Golden Gate Ave.
Suite 14300
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Doctor Brotman,

Please do not close St Luke’s Hospital.

I have given birth at both CPMC’s California Street campus and St Luke’s. Both births were covered by my private insurance. The birth of my elder daughter, at CPMC, was satisfactory. The doctors and nurses were excellent and professional; but it was my doula, Summer Andreassen, who helped me give birth without an epidural.

When I got pregnant again I knew I wanted a different experience. I started my prenatal care at UCSF, which was satisfactory. But I wanted care close to my home, in Bernal Heights. I wanted the kind of personal support I had received from my doula, ideally from a midwife. I asked around my friends, who include obstetricians and midwives, and their recommendation was unanimous. Every single one recommended Yeshi Neumann and Homestyle Midwifery at St Luke’s. I switched care from UCSF to St Luke’s at 28 weeks.

As I said, Claire’s birth was satisfactory. But Julia’s birth was the most amazing experience of my life. She was a very big baby - 9lb 4oz - but I delivered her in seven hours, and did not even require stitches. The care I received from Yeshi was extraordinary. As my friends had done, I recommended Homestyle and St Luke’s to anyone who would listen. I couldn’t stop talking about how great it was.

You can imagine how disappointed I was when the relationship between St Luke’s and Homestyle ended. I am involved with the effort to establish Homestyle as a private practice.
But if you close St Luke’s Hospital it will mean no more women having babies the way I had Julia. And I believe every woman should have the kind of birth experience I had with Julia: safe and supported and incredibly empowering.

St Luke’s is a shining example of what a community hospital can be. The ob/gyn department was good enough to woo me and my private insurance from UCSF, one of the most famous hospitals in the country. This even aside from the practical, demographic considerations around its closure - that it serves an under-served community, that it is one of only two hospitals in San Francisco that are south of Market Street.

I know the hospital is losing money. Health care is expensive. The answer is not to close St Luke’s wildly successful programs, good enough to win privately insured patients. Try working with the community. I believe you will be astonished at the goodwill the staff at St Luke’s have earned throughout our community, from the poorest to the most affluent.
Every woman is different. Every birth is different. Good obstetric care provides options. St Luke’s was San Francisco’s best option.

There has to be another way. I beg you to find it.

Yours sincerely,
Rachel Chalmers