In crisis or need support now? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262, free, confidential, 24/7.
On June 25, patients and providers stood together in La Jolla. The fight is not over. Read what happened →
A Patient-Led Campaign · San Diego
UC San Diego pushed out the doctors who care for mothers in crisis. Then they promised us continuity of care, and left us on our own.
They gave the most fragile patients in maternal mental health care roughly five weeks to transfer or go without. The letter promising a safe, supported handoff arrived on July 1, after the doctors were already gone. For many patients, the continuity of care they were promised never came. This is no longer only about one policy. It is about how the people at the top of UC San Diego Health chose to lead.
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They Promised Continuity of Care. It Still Has Not Happened.
UC San Diego Health pushed out the part-time psychiatrists who treat women in reproductive and maternal mental health crisis, and gave patients roughly five weeks to transfer their care or go without. The patients affected are among the most fragile the system serves: women in high-risk pregnancies, in the postpartum period, in infertility and pregnancy-loss care, and in serious reproductive mental health crisis.
Then the letters went out. They said that maintaining safe, high-quality care was a highest priority, that a member of the care team would be contacting patients shortly, and that records and next steps would be handled so care could continue without unnecessary interruption. For many patients, that is not what happened.
The doctors were cut off so quickly that they were not able to hand off their own patients the way any careful physician would want to. Patients were left in the gap. Sudden breaks in psychiatric care are known to cause missed appointments, medication lapses, emergency room visits, and avoidable hospitalizations, and to break the therapeutic trust that takes years to build.
The clinicians who were pushed out are not interchangeable. Many work part-time for one reason: they are mothers. They have built careers at the very top of medicine while raising children, and the flexibility to do both is exactly what lets them stay in academic medicine and keep treating patients.
What We Are Asking the Leadership of UC San Diego Health to Do
- Honor the continuity of care they promised in writing, with a real, warm handoff for every patient still left in the gap.
- Restore a way to reach the program. Patients received a letter from an address that cannot receive replies, so no one can even write back.
- Reverse the appointment-availability policy that pushed these specialized clinicians out.
- Face the patients, clinicians, and staff this decision hit hardest, openly and in person.
The State Made a Promise Too
Leadership Starts at the Top. So Does the Silence.
California calls itself the best state in the country for maternal mental health. The Governor says it. The First Partner says it. The Surgeon General says it. We are about to find out if they mean it.
In June 2026 California was ranked number one in the nation for supporting maternal mental health, and the state told everyone. That ranking is the promise. What is happening at UC San Diego is the test.
A state ranked number one for maternal mental health should not let its own flagship hospital push mothers off a cliff on a five-week clock. The Governor, the First Partner, Surgeon General Diana Ramos, and the UC Regents all have the standing to ask UC San Diego one question: did you keep the promise you made to these patients. If they believe what they say about mothers, they will ask it. If they stay silent, their silence speaks for them. Leadership rots from the head, or it leads. We are asking them to lead.
If Your Care Has Been Affected, Here Is How to Act
You have more power than you may realize. Filing a complaint will not affect the care you receive, and you can stay anonymous. Here are concrete steps:
- Tell UC San Diego Health directly. Write to UCSD Health Patient Experience, ask that your letter be added to your patient record, and copy the Chief of Psychiatry and executive leadership.
- Protect your own care. Ask your health plan for continuity of care so you can complete your current treatment (California Health and Safety Code section 1373.96).
- File with the regulators. The California Department of Public Health (Licensing and Certification), The Joint Commission’s Office of Quality and Patient Safety, and the Department of Managed Health Care all take patient complaints.
- Share your story below so it can be included in formal complaints to UC San Diego Health and the agencies that oversee it.
Share Your Experience
Your story matters. With your permission, we compile stories, signatures, and support and deliver them to UC San Diego Health, officials, and oversight bodies on your behalf, so you don’t have to navigate the system alone. You can also choose to have your story published on our Stories page. Prefer to send your own letter? We’ll provide a ready-to-use, fillable letter and simple instructions. Share only what you are comfortable sharing. Speaking up will not affect your care.
The Stories Are the Movement
Real experiences from patients, families, and the people who care for them, shared with permission. The more voices we gather, the harder we are to ignore. Lend yours.
Stay Informed
Add your email to follow this effort and hear when there is news or a way to help.
This is a patient-led effort. Filing a complaint or sharing your story will not affect your care.
California Is Leading. UC San Diego Is Going Backward.
California was just named #1 in the nation for maternal mental health, while UC San Diego pushes out the part-time mother-physicians who provide it. Read the full story.
Crisis & Support Resources
You are not alone, and support is available any time.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7.
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, call or text 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-MAMA). Free, 24/7, English & Spanish.
- Postpartum Support International HelpLine, call or text 1-800-944-4773 (Español: text 971-203-7773). Support and referrals (not a crisis line).
- Emergency: call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
This website does not provide medical advice and is not a substitute for emergency care. Sharing your story will not affect the care you receive. Public stories may be seen by media, officials, and the public; you choose your level of anonymity.