Laguna Beach fights plan to close its only 24/7 emergency room

Laguna Beach residents are pushing back against plans to shutter the city's only 24/7 emergency room after Providence Mission Hospital announced it would transition to urgent care services to comply with a $350 million state-mandated seismic improvement project by 2030, Voice of OC reported Monday.

The potential closure would leave Laguna Beach's residents and millions of annual visitors without nearby emergency services — the next closest hospital sits 8.6 miles away on coastal roads prone to gridlock, raising concerns that delayed ambulance response times could prove fatal.

Providence Mission Hospital announced in January 2026 that it would stop accepting ambulances and would no longer serve as a primary trauma destination, according to Voice of OC. California state law requires the facility to complete a $350 million seismic improvement project by 2030, and hospital leadership determined the investment was not feasible, leading officials to chart a path toward urgent care and expanded outpatient services instead.

Seth Teigen, chief executive of Providence Mission Hospital, told city officials at a Jan. 27 city council meeting that the institution intends to stay in Laguna Beach in some form. "One of the most important notes that I want to make about our hospital and our services is that we have no intention of leaving Laguna Beach. We intend to be in Laguna Beach in the future, but we recognize the hospital is going to have to look differently," Teigen said.

A city survey of 400 residents — representing about 2% of the population — found that 88% said access to a 24/7 emergency room was important, according to Voice of OC. The emergency room logged 17,000 visits in 2025. While Voice of OC noted that few of those visits involved strokes or heart attacks — cases typically directed to other facilities — council members questioned whether that distinction was meaningful to patients in the moment.

City council member Alex Rounaghi challenged the argument that most ER patients could instead be handled by urgent care. "One of the fallacies that I've heard so far in this process is the idea that there's only a certain number of people who actually need to go to the ER where they could otherwise go to urgent care. But I think a lot of people go to the ER with the idea that they have a serious emergency. They might not have a serious emergency, but the only way that they know that they don't have a serious emergency is going to the ER," Rounaghi said at a March 10 meeting, according to Voice of OC.

Public commenter Trish Sweeney underscored the stakes of longer ambulance runs in a written comment to council at the same meeting. "The additional transit time required for city ambulances to travel to either location — especially in peak traffic — is dramatic and could mean the difference between life and death," Sweeney wrote, according to Voice of OC. The nearest alternative hospitals include Providence Mission Viejo at 8.6 miles, MemorialCare Saddleback at 11 miles and Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach at 16 miles.

The hospital traces its origins to the late 1950s, when the death of a police officer from lack of nearby emergency care spurred community action. Residents funded half the original construction through talent shows, bake sales and chicken dinners. "The community had to raise half the funds, and the other half came from a federal grant. And they did it by talent shows, and chicken dinners, and bake sales. Somehow, it came together and they built this hospital. So we need to band together again," public commenter Ann Christoph said at the March 10 council meeting, according to Voice of OC. The facility was renovated and reopened in 2019 equipped with CT and X-ray technology and trauma rooms.

A city ad hoc committee is researching emergency room visit patterns, ambulance usage and the regional impact of a potential closure, with a report to council expected as the 2030 state seismic deadline draws closer.