Providence outlines plan to reimagine Laguna Beach hospital campus; residents press for ER protections

Providence Mission Hospital officials told the Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday they are exploring a long-range reconfiguration of the hospital campus that would prioritize outpatient and emergency-medicine services while removing inpatient beds and ceasing to accept ambulance traffic.

Chief executive Seth Tegan described the work as an early-stage, community‑informed planning process that could take through 2030. "We're in the listening phase," Tegan said, adding Providence wants to maintain on-site access to high‑quality, rapid care for the 40 patients who typically drive themselves to the ER each day, while recognizing that ambulance-received, high‑acuity patients would continue to go to the larger trauma center in Mission Viejo.

The presentation prompted extensive public comment; dozens of residents, patients and hospital staff recounted personal emergencies they said would have been worse — and in some cases fatal — had the Laguna Beach ER not existed. "If he had been driven to Mission, he would have been dead in my car on the way there," said a resident who described transporting a neighbor with chest pain to the local ER. Several former hospital employees and clinicians warned that users often choose the Laguna campus because it is easier to navigate and quicker to reach than larger regional centers.

Council members said they appreciate Providence’s outreach but pressed for specific information about regulatory requirements and timelines. Tegan said Providence will share data with the city and offered to brief neighborhood task forces and community groups. "We're committed to doing a comprehensive analysis," he said, noting prior legal conditions attached to past ownership changes and promising to provide details about any attorney‑general or regulatory steps that would be required.

Councilors and speakers urged two near‑term steps: (1) that the city form a public task force to evaluate impacts and options — a task the council already has begun — and (2) that Providence and the city jointly commission or share existing third‑party analyses on ambulance flows, response times, and likely diversion patterns in a high‑season traffic environment. Tegan said the hospital will participate in task‑force meetings and make datasets available.

What happens next: Council members said they will continue appointing and convening a community task force to study service impacts, clarifications on regulatory obligations, and mitigation options. Providence emphasized the plan is not final and pledged to host community briefings this summer. The council accepted the presentation and scheduled follow‑up briefings with hospital leaders and the task force.