Laguna Beach Will Not Get Mini-Hospital With ER, Hospital Officials Say

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach residents will not see a mini-hospital with an attached emergency room at the Providence Mission Hospital campus in the future, The Orange County Register reported.

Hospital officials made the announcement to city officials on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after their experts "conducted a thorough evaluation" of whether a small hospital on the 22-acre South Laguna campus could provide an alternative to the existing model, the report said.

The news comes following an outpour of resident concern triggered by the expected closure of Providence Mission Hospital's emergency and acute care services.

"We were disappointed to hear yesterday from Providence that Providence does not see a way to include a micro-hospital with a 24/7 ER in their Laguna Beach campus's future plans," Councilmembers Bob Whalen and Alex Rounaghi, who lead the city's task force dedicated to the issue, said in a joint statement. "A modern medical office building is fine, but we need emergency medial needs addressed."

The task force was created in March to form an action plan after the hospital announced that it would become an outpatient facility.

According to Providence Mission Hospital, the Laguna Beach ER is expected to close by Jan. 1, 2030.