I want to write an update on the petition I started on January 16th for the reconsideration of Fort Logan Hospital Birthing Unit to remain open. I was heartbroken that night, and I would be lying if I didn't say some of those emotions are present tonight. However, that petition (little did I know) would not only lead me to a group of women invested in fighting for something that was deeply loved in our community, for treasured providers to be able to continue doing something as precious as assisting to bring new life into the world...but that the petition would grow to the thousands in just days. It grew because others who believed in the cause shared it, it grew because of lived moments of compassion in vulnerable and precious moments of our lives, it grew because of the nationally recognized maternity care and recognitions by women for women, it grew because of love inside (and even outside) of our community. Today, that petition stands over 4,300 voices strong...each one representing a patient, a family, and a lived experience that deserves to be acknowledged.
As a pregnant mama myself in this crossfire of losses of care which Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center seems to be wrapped up in -in many ways and with multiple healthcare providers in what appears to not be in the best way...I am watching. I am observing. I am taking every little thing into consideration.
What is the basic definition of care?
1.the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something
2.serious attention or consideration applied to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk.
Interesting. Do I feel as though Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center's recent decisions falls under these descriptions? No. Not in the slightest.
Wouldn't a calm environment for a mother growing new life be considered necessary? Wouldn't continuity of care with an ESTABLISHED priority be the BEST possible decision for mother and baby?
Serious attention applied to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk...this part.
Please tell me the answers to these questions I don't understand Ephraim McDowell...because I can't ask you on your facebook communication being blocked myself or with your site continuing to post but, of course not allowing the public in general to comment?
How was a 30 day closure of our local birthing unit correctly done in order to disrupt care in many's personal opinion, to avoid damage (like the incredible amount of stress myself and this community have been going through while we carry a new life) care?
Do you think thirty days was truly a fair timeline, do you think it showed any compassion in assisting your valued patients to transition as best as possible?
How is misleading us where we were told by your staff under your direction (I presume) even on birthing tours that we would have the comfort (at the very least) of the providers we established with for our deliveries to rip them away from us and deny their privileges four days...just four days before this closure?
You may need an optometrist if you can't see the damage you have already done as voiced by this community...not just in these choices which do NOT meet the definitions for safety but, in the choices you continue to make.
More than 4,300 voices have spoken clearly -patients, families, and community members calling for transparency, collaboration, and safety. Yet despite this overwhelming response, the company has failed to meet the community in the middle or meaningfully address what is being asked. When thousands speak and are met with silence, it signals a disregard for the very people this system is meant to serve.
Que the audiologist as well.
The comments we read are general and bland from your name, and never seem to allow any follow up, commentary, or questions...seems like you truly care to hear what the people you serve have to say.
I may have personal opinions I won't mention because there are appropriate times and places, however I will say that Cumberland Family Medical Center made the statement
"Since January 16, 2026, CFMC has tried to engage Ephraim McDowell in a productive discussion of how to manage the care of Fort Logan patients at EMRMC. Until yesterday, however, EMRMC has taken the position that the care of Fort Logan patients does not involve CFMC, as it contended that Fort Logan providers would care for Fort Logan patients at EMRMC. Yesterday, four days before the scheduled closure of Fort Logan, CFMC learned that Fort Logan providers will not manage Labor and Delivery at EMRMC, which means that CFMC providers are the only providers at EMRMC who are qualified to manage the care of hundreds of Fort Logan labor and delivery patients per year. This sudden, unplanned increase in patient care responsibilities is not safe for established CFMC patients, and it is not acceptable to CFMC."
You state it is misleading but, you fail to really detail how, at least in my opinion. In the most recent post from Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center you can read commentary from Dan McKay himself in this quoted message
"Ongoing and uninterrupted OB-GYN coverage delivers on EMRMC’s promise to protect access and ensures that there will be no disruption in OB care and services.
“Committed and dedicated OB-GYNs will safeguard the comfort and safety of our patients and newborns ensuring there is no disruption to maternal care services at EMRMC,” said Daniel McKay, President and CEO of Ephraim McDowell Health. “We are aware of the misleading statement issued by Cumberland Family Medical Center, Inc, and we want to reassure our community that access to obstetrics care will be seamless and unobstructed.”
Since we discussed some definitions earlier, lets do another just for fun.
Disruption.
1.disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process.
2.radical change to an existing industry or market due to technological innovation.
The damage is done with disruption, let's be clear. The facts are that the community is clearly disrupted, which you might know if they had access to comment on your updates. Taking a voice away does not change the opinion, it doesn't silence them outside of one social media post and, the community is talking.
Explain how my care has not been disrupted when I have had to urgently seek alternative plans because my willing, capable provider who knows my complex history is barred from delivering me where I was told they could.
Explain how increasing travel times in a rural community—where delayed access to obstetric care is proven to increase the risk of serious outcomes, including life-threatening emergencies for both mother and baby—meets any reasonable standard of safety.
Explain why allegedly Cumberland Family Medical Center was not briefed on such a drastic change and the potential addition of 400+ patients into care with virtually no notice.
Explain why emergency medical services were not meaningfully engaged prior to announcing changes that directly affect transport times, emergency response, and maternal outcomes.
Proactive planning is safer. Reactive decision-making is dangerous.
Explain how denying provider privileges days before closure avoids risk, reduces harm, or aligns in any way with patient-centered care.
The group of women fighting this change has spent countless hours on the phone, writing emails, documenting their journey, spending funds to bring awareness, and eventually it has come to be a lesson I've known in life that what we reap...we sow. We may not have gotten the exact outcome as of yet we had hoped for, but we have become very knowledgeable on interesting details. Details that may take us in new directions.
For all of the women in the community who have lost care now in not just one county, but two...hang in there.
Sometimes there are bigger works happening and while we may not understand, everything is usually for a bigger purpose.
When you continue to play with fire, it is easy to have a fire that gets out of control...sometimes you get burned and now that the community is awake and warmed by the flames...we will wait and see what comes next.
In the meantime mama's, rest. Be still. Do something to relax yourself after what these days have brought, and trust that things will come together in the end even if it takes time. Take the down time to learn about your healthcare, to be able to advocate for yourself, and to know what is acceptable and what is not.
I have one last final definition for the night, it's a big one.
Moral obligation.
A moral obligation is an ethical duty or responsibility to act in a certain way based on personal conscience, societal norms, or principles of right and wrong, rather than legal requirements. It is an internal sense of duty to do the "right thing," often prioritizing ethical principles over personal desire.
And my friends, I won't give any examples of this one, because thus far it seems we are still waiting to see one.
Do not forget that ultimately, God is in control❤️