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Local physician recalls ER chaos, urges support for county sales tax to protect trauma care
Summary
Monte Sereno resident and physician Dolly Goyle urged council members to support Measure A, recounting a 2009 six‑hour closure of Valley Medical Center's ER that she said caused county‑wide chaos and longer ambulance transports.
Dolly Goyle, a Monte Sereno resident who identified herself as a physician, told the council during public comment that she has firsthand experience of the consequences when a county emergency room unexpectedly closed. “When Valley Medical Center closed their emergency room for 6 hours in 2009... it was utter chaos for 6 hours,” she said, describing ambulance diversions and longer waits at other hospitals.
Goyle said those disruptions are a reason to support the county’s proposed temporary sales tax measure on the November ballot, arguing that failing to secure local revenue could force facility closures or further reductions in emergency capacity with life‑threatening consequences for stroke and heart‑attack patients. “Every minute counts for that stroke,” she said, urging residents and council members to weigh the risks of losing nearby emergency services.
