San Clemente Officials Consider New City Hospital, Survey Results

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — San Clemente local officials are working to secure the future of emergency health care access in San Clemente after the closure of Memorial Care Hospital. To help guide the city's response to providing emergency health care access to San Clemente residents, a survey regarding public sentiments on health and safety concerns in the community was authorized by the city council in 2020.

The results of the survey will be shared with San Clemente's City Council and the rest of the public on Tuesday during the scheduled city council meeting, the city announced in a new release.

“Mayor Gene James and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan have been working diligently on the future of emergency healthcare access in San Clemente. The City Council supported this survey so they could get a sense of where the public stands with regard to health-related services in the city,” City Manager Erik Sund said in the statement. “Surveys are an important part of hearing from the public as they include a wide swath of voices. I look forward to what we learn from the survey research firm and a robust discussion among our City Council.”

The survey was given by FM3 from Dec. 4 through Dec. 12, the city said. The survey methodology used telephone calls and email invitations to guarantee proper random sampling of the community.

The survey process is the latest effort by the City of San Clemente and the San Clemente City Council to address the emergency service needs of the community. San Clemente has since spent years looking for a hospital operating partner who would reopen the legacy hospital site off Camino De Los Mares.

“I expect that these survey results could mark the beginning of an extensive council and community dialogue. The public is encouraged to follow along on this process, observe or comment at the Council meeting and stay informed,” Sund said in the statement.

San Clemente City Councilmembers meet Tuesday at 3 p.m. Residents will have an opportunity to speak at the meeting, submit a written comment, or observe via YouTube and Cox channel 54.