SOUNDING OFF: Hospital’s ER can’t stand alone

As you may already know, I am a longtime supporter of our community hospital, South Coast Medical Center. In a city as small as ours, we are unbelievably fortunate to have a hospital we can call our own, with doctors committed to serving our small town.

Right now, it is more important than ever for us to use the hospital as much as we can. If you need outpatient surgery, a mammogram or lab tests, tell your doctor you want your work done at SCMC. It really means a lot to the doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers when local people come in and show their support.

There are two medical office buildings on the hospital campus, both with great doctors. Last week, my two sons and I were seeing Dr. Goldberg, our dermatologist, who is in the front building. After that, we walked over to the main hospital lab so one of the kids could have a blood test.

Priscilla, the friendly lab tech, did the honors. She has worked at South Coast for more than 15 years.

Our last stop was downstairs in the front office building, where we filled a prescription at the pharmacy and chatted with Ali, the pharmacist.

It is so convenient to be able to do all those things quickly at the same location.

As reported in the local papers, the hospital is for sale.

Adventist Health, the owner of the hospital and the land, has decided to leave Orange County. Fortunately for us, the hospital has suitors. Adventist Health is in the process of interviewing them.

Some people think the City Council is involved in the sale process, but we are not. However, we have let Adventist know what we want if they leave, and we have talked with some of the potential new owners. We have hired a hospital attorney and a hospital consultant. It is no secret that what we want is what we already have “” a full-service acute care hospital with a 24-hour emergency room.

How can we keep it? Use it. Some people think we can just have an emergency room, and we don’t need a hospital. Unfortunately, that isn’t legal under California law.

So, it all comes back to the most important thing. Give the doctors and the hospital your support and your business. Why? If you want the emergency room to be there when you really need it, you need to support it now.

CHERYL KINSMAN is Mayor Pro Tem of Laguna Beach.