The fate of San Clemente, Calif.-based Saddleback Memorial hospital's emergency department is quickly becoming a vital issue in the city's council election, according to a report from the O.C. Register.
Since the hospital announced in August it was considering relinquishing its ED and community hospital licenses and converting into a full-service outpatient center, the San Clemente community has been up in arms, according to the report.
The issue is pressing enough for the community that all six city council candidates have plans to preserve the 73-bed hospital and its ED. The issue is one of public concern: In late September, a group of concerned residents and medical professionals appealed to the San Clemente City Council to help them save the hospital.
Recently, emergency rooms in South County, where San Clemente is located, have recently been full enough to divert patients to other area facilities, and a new 14,000-home development is set to go up near San Clemente soon, according to another O.C. Register report.
California state law does not allow emergency rooms unless they are attached to full-service hospitals, and emergency patients may not be delivered to urgent care facilities.
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