Laguna Beach residents push to keep emergency room open as Providence plans hospital changes

Laguna Beach residents and city leaders are raising concerns about plans by Providence Mission Hospital to stop operating a full-service acute care hospital in the city by 2030, arguing the community's only emergency room is critical for public safety.

Residents say losing the emergency department could have serious consequences for people experiencing medical emergencies, particularly in a coastal city that frequently responds to ocean rescues and other emergencies.

"I went through nursing school learning in the emergency room and taking care of patients. And urgent care just isn't going to fulfill the needs of an emergency room. And to suggest that it could is absurd," Laguna Beach resident Carissa Dale said.

"There will definitely be deaths that shouldn't have happened here locally if this closes," resident Murphy Gerber said.

Providence representatives say the decision was made in part because of the estimated $350 million cost to retrofit the hospital property to meet state seismic standards. Hospital officials also cited what they described as a low level of utilization. For those reasons, they intend on evolving the Laguna Beach campus to an outpatient focused facility.

"It's been indicated that really it comes down to a financial decision about how they can balance the different financial needs of their hospital system," said Laguna Beach Councilmember Alex Rounaghi, who serves on the city's hospital task force.

Rounaghi said city officials have sought information about the potential impact of closing the emergency room. He said the hospital was built in 1959 after a Laguna Beach police officer was shot in the line of duty. The officer died, he said, in part due to a lack of nearby care.

"The reason for building it was to have access to emergency services. Arguably today that need is more than ever," Rounaghi said. "We've been asking for data to show that the closure of the emergency room is not going to have an impact on residents. We are not convinced that there is data to demonstrate that."

Patients requiring the highest level of care are diverted to Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, one of three trauma centers in Orange County. However, city officials say about 60% of Laguna Beach Fire Department transports in recent months were brought to Laguna Beach.

Rounaghi said travel times to Mission Viejo can be significant.

"I did a ride along with our firefighter paramedics several weekends ago and we went out to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. It took an hour and 40 minutes round trip," he said.

He also said significant tourism seen in the city has raised concerns about the plan.

"The first is a public safety concern related to more issues happening at the beach where people need to have access to emergency services. But the second one, which I think is just as important, is about the time impacts that are involved when you have significant traffic," Rounaghi said.

According to Providence, in 2025, of the approximately 17,275 people who went to the Laguna Beach emergency department, 84% were treated and discharged and 2.5% were transferred to Mission Viejo.

But residents note that that means more than 2,000 patients admitted in Laguna Beach last year required life-saving care.

Concern over the proposed changes prompted resident Patricia Sweeney to start a petition to save the emergency department.

"Hearing that they're going to close the emergency room was shocking because we've had three drownings this year, two near drownings, people fall off cliffs, they get bit by rattlesnakes," Sweeney said.

In a statement, a Providence spokesperson said the organization is open to exploring legislative options for a freestanding emergency department, something that is currently barred under California state law.

"We are beginning a structured stakeholder engagement process to help inform, beyond emergency services, what is most important to the community in a future model," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that they have engaged in meaningful and structured conversations with the city, healthcare partners and residents, leading them to understand the community's interest in preserving emergency care.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Providence is exploring the possibility of creating a mini-hospital with an emergency room, though no final plans have been announced.

Until a future model is finalized, residents say they will continue advocating to preserve emergency care services in Laguna Beach.

"I just want to make sure that Providence is not putting profits over patients in any way," Dale said.