Catholic hospital apologizes for sending bleeding mom home with a bucket when she miscarried twins at 15 weeks

A Catholic hospital in California has agreed to reexamine training and education after the state sued the hospital after its practitioners denied a woman an emergency abortion.

Anna Nusslock, 36, alleged that doctors at Catholic Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka sent her home covered in blood while she was having a miscarriage and offered her nothing but a bucket and a towel.

The expectant mother claimed that doctors responsible for her care denied an emergency abortion after her waters broke prematurely, leaving her vulnerable to infections and other complications.

Nusslock was just 15 weeks pregnant with twins when doctors told her that the babies would no longer be viable and that if her pregnancies were not terminated, she would be at risk of bleeding or developing an infection that would negatively affect her future fertility. could influence.

Catholic-affiliated Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, California has agreed to reexamine training and education after the state sued the facility after its practitioners denied a woman an emergency abortion

But because doctors reportedly discovered fetal heartbeats, the Catholic hospital switched to its own policy, which states that the hospital cannot perform an abortion unless the patient’s life is in danger.

Catholic hospitals restrict reproductive health care for following the church’s “ethical and religious guidelines.”

Yet according to the Cleveland ClinicFetal tissue left in the uterus can “cause an infection that can damage your reproductive organs or even cause dangerous complications such as sepsis if left untreated.”

Unable to receive care, Nusslock and her husband then drove to Mad River Community Hospital, 12 miles away. During the unimaginable, blood-soaked ride, the now grieving mother expelled one of the fetuses.

She arrived at Arcata Hospital in distress before medical professionals had to perform an emergency procedure to remove the other unborn fetus.

On September 30, the State of California filed a petition court case against Eureka Hospital, claiming it violated state law requiring hospitals with emergency centers to provide care to prevent “serious injury, illness and death.”

The lawsuit alleges that “instead of providing the emergency medical care she needed, Providence Hospital offered her a bucket and towels.”

As if that weren’t enough, additional details were dropped in the September lawsuit, including that the Providence doctor recommended Nusslock be taken by helicopter to the University of California San Francisco Medical Center for treatment.

But when she brought up the unfathomable $40,000 cost, the lawsuit says her doctor told her, “If you try to drive, you will bleed and die before you get to a place that can help you.”

The hospital has since responded to Nusslock’s traumatic experience by issuing a statement in a statement Facebook post, signed by the Chief Executive, Garry Olney.

On September 30, the state of California filed a lawsuit against Eureka Hospital, claiming it violated state law requiring hospitals with emergency centers to provide care to prevent “serious injury, illness and death.” Pictured: a grieving Anna Nusslock speaking at a podium

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital, alleging that the hospital violated multiple state laws when it discharged Anna Nusslock without providing her with necessary medical care.

“As you have probably heard, we learned yesterday that the California Attorney General filed a lawsuit alleging that we denied emergency care to a pregnant patient in Humboldt County earlier this year,” the message reads.

“We are deeply saddened by the experience this patient has had in our care and have contacted her today in an attempt to express our deepest apologies.”

Nusslock Hospital ultimately received potentially life-saving care at Mad River and will soon close its labor and delivery unit, leaving even fewer options for those who need care.

Providence will then be the only hospital within 85 miles to offer labor and delivery, according to a KFF Health News analysis.

This case raises a larger issue plaguing women because it illustrates a major loophole in California state law that allows Catholic hospitals to follow their religious guidelines instead.

In California, 56 hospitals have closed their maternity wards in the past 12 years research by CalMatters, The 19th news reported.

Meanwhile, nationally, at least 267 hospitals closed labor and delivery units between 2011 and 2021, representing about 5 percent of the nation’s hospitals, according to Chartis, a health analytics and consulting firm.