Community Leaders Fight to Save Emergency Room

San Clemente City leaders and state legislators made the case to save San Clemente Hospital’s Emergency Room Monday to a legislative delegation considering a bill to allow for a satellite emergency room.

San Clemente Hospital’s parent company MemorialCare plans to close the hospital and replace it with an outpatient medical center. For four decades, the hospital has served the residents of San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Dana Point and is the only emergency room serving a 40 miles stretch between Oceanside and Mission Viejo.

“Without an Emergency Room, patients will not get the necessary medical care needed; this will change medical outcomes for the worse,” San Clemente Mayor Chris Hamm said at the briefing.

Hamm and Mayor pro Tempore Bob Baker, Assemblymember Bill Brough (R-Dana Point) and Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) met with the delegation Monday. Brough has authored Assembly Bill 911 and Bates authored Senate Bill 787 to allow for a satellite emergency room. The Assembly and Senate Health Committees heard both bills in April but postponed action for further study, according to a statement put out by the City of San Clemente.

According to the city, the San Clemente ER sees 15,000 patients annually and it is the only ER between Oceanside and Mission Viejo. Travel times from south San Clemente to Mission Hospital can exceed 30+ minutes.

“Without legislative relief, the residents and visitors to San Clemente will not have timely access to emergency medical care,” Baker said. “We urge the Legislature and the Governor to enact this legislation next year.”

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