Reasons for closure seem suspicious

The cadence of Bonner General Health closing labor and delivery services is highly suspicious.

First, there was the breaking of the story in the Daily Bee with the convenient, ready-for-print quotes from a local OB/GYN on a podcast and from the co-founder of Sandpoint Women's Health. The next day was the lengthy My Turn opinion printed in the Daily Bee from the co-founder of Sandpoint Women's Health citing a doctor's inability to treat ectopic pregnancies as the reason for HR recruiting issues and a host of other excuses. That evening, national media began parroting the same narrative.

After reading the law in its entirety, it seems the real issue at play for doctors is accountability or "affirmative defense." Every doctor performing any kind of procedure should, without exception, be able to support their plan of treatment for any patient(s) with diagnostics and tests, just as the current law states. Let us not forget the unauthorized and secret sterilization of many Native American women simply because doctors had zero accountability and thought they knew better for those entrusted to their care. 

Sandpoint Women's Health receives a large portion of Bonner County tax dollars collected by the Pend Oreille Hospital Taxing District. Without labor and delivery services at BGH, Bonner County taxpayers' money can now be shifted into healthcare entities in other counties, or even outside the state, without much resistance from the public, according to Idaho Code 39-1318.

Fun fact, five out of the seven POHD board of trustees also make up half of Bonner General Health's Board of Directors. 

JULIE BERRETH

Sandpoint