What’s at Stake:

Laguna Beach has the only Emergency Department in close proximity to the people who live, work and vacation in our southern coastal communities. Providence Mission Hospital plans on closing our city’s only emergency room and eliminating acute care services. Instead, an urgent care with expanded outpatient services will be offered. This is wholly inadequate. We need a fully functioning hospital with 24/7 ER, OR, and ICU beds. Please sign this petition before it’s too late--before the 180-day notice of closure arrives.

The Facts Behind the Crisis:

• Population Demand: 22,500 residents with a median age of 53.9 live in Laguna Beach but the city receives 7.1 million annual visitors. The high tourist foot traffic drives one of the highest rates of pedestrian accidents in Orange County, often ranking in the top 10 for cities of its size.
  
  
• Regional Service Area: Our hospital services the cities of Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and surrounding communities – more than 120,000 people. San Clemente Hospital closed in 2016. We cannot afford to lose another one.
  
  
• ER Demand: In 2025, Providence recorded 17,000 emergency department visits, including 3,000 cases requiring hospital-based lifesaving care. Some patients were referred from urgent care clinics that were unable to manage their medical emergencies.
  
  
• Topographic Barriers: Hilly terrain, narrow roads, heavy tourism, traffic bottlenecks on Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road during peak hours/seasons are a reality here. On average, 154 fatal and injury-related traffic collisions are reported yearly. Steep canyon rescues for injured hikers and bikers are regular occurrences. There are just three ways in and out of the city.
  
  
• Coastal Emergency Response: Thousands of marine rescues are performed annually. During the July 4th, 2025, weekend alone, more than 1,000 people were rescued from the ocean. Nearby Dana Point Harbor also draws boaters and water sports enthusiasts year-round.
  
  
• Wildfire Risk Zone: Laguna is surrounded by 22,000 acres of wilderness. 87% of Laguna’s land is in a designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Just last year, a 4.6-acre brush fire prompted the evacuation of several neighborhoods.
  
  
• Critical Distance: Mission Hospital is nearly 9 miles away and Hoag Newport Beach is more than 15 miles away from the Laguna Beach campus. An ambulance to either hospital would take much longer--especially during peak hours of the day/season--potentially impacting capacity for other emergencies occurring at the same time.

The Proposed Plan:

Providence estimates that the State-mandated seismic retrofit required by 2030 would cost $350 million--funds it does not intend to spend. Despite City leadership noting that the work could be done in phases, the hospital’s proposal for the Laguna Beach campus appears to be: Discontinue acute care operations (ER, OR, ICU) and shift to urgent care and expanded outpatient medical services. 

Why This Matters:

Closing the ER instead of upgrading it abandons the very residents and visitors seismic standards are meant to protect. Providence’s recent $712 million investment in Mission Viejo and Rancho Mission Viejo highlights its capacity for major capital projects even as it reviews the future of emergency care in Laguna Beach.

The City’s Response: 

Laguna Beach leaders are forming two key input groups to address this issue:

1.    A community advisory committee

2.    An internal working group that would include the two council members who form the ad hoc committee for the hospital, the City Manager, City Attorney, and heads of the city’s community development and public safety departments. 

According to published media reports, the city would also like to seek out consultants to assist with legal matters regarding a potential hospital closure and possible real estate approaches to the site. The campus is situated on approximately 20 acres, split between 12 acres developed and approximately 8 acres undeveloped—a property of significant community value.

Take Action Now:

The city and surrounding communities depend on this facility. Please sign this petition to help keep a fully functioning hospital with ER, OR and ICU beds in Laguna Beach. Forward this petition to family, friends and neighbors. Post the link to all your socials. Speak up in City meetings and let your voice be heard. 

Together, we can protect the lifeline that has served our southern coastal communities for 67 years. Thank you!