A petition recently launched by Providence workers in Sonoma County inspired impassioned statements from community members who are fed up with how the Washington State-based corporation has slashed healthcare services in the North Bay.

Since taking over St. Joseph Health a decade ago, Providence has cut staff, eliminated outpatient labs, and closed both a birthing center and an urgent care clinic. Now Providence wants to shutter the only urgent care center in Santa Rosa that is open to the general public. 

Here is a selection of comments received from people who signed the petition:

Providence has been a major disappointment to the Sonoma County community. They bought our hospitals and made promises and signed contracts they didn’t honor. Selling off prime real estate and outsourcing services. Closing labs and creating chaos for our most vulnerable populations.
Cheryl
Petaluma

Providence has cut back services that have directly affected my healthcare needs and needs to be stopped from destroying services in our area.
Grant
Guernville

Santa Rosa deserves better access to healthcare. Put your values before profits.
Steven
Santa Rosa

We have had to use the urgent care several times. Please keep it open as my husband and I are senior citizens, and the urgent care has been there for us so that we didn’t need to go to an emergency room and wait long hours to be seen.
Siegrid
Santa Rosa

Stop cutting services. Restore services. Step up to the promise to care for our communities.
Julie
Dillon Beach

Please do not close the Santa Rosa urgent care, which will crowd the Memorial ER even worse than it is now.
Claire
Sonoma

This situation is outrageous. The loss of the Providence labs was ridiculous. It’s so much more inconvenient to go to a lab that is not located in the same building as the doctors’ offices are. Regarding urgent care — another ridiculous idea. If you are sick, you should not be out driving distances to other towns. 
Claudia
Petaluma