Since the closure of the Memorial Care Hospital in San Clemente, the City has worked diligently over the last seven years to find solutions to reopen a hospital in the community. The San Clemente City Council formed a Hospital Subcommittee to review policy options related to public health and the future of siting a hospital in San Clemente. In September 2020, the City Council authorized the funds for and directed San Clemente City Staff to contract for a survey to be conducted regarding public sentiments on health and safety concerns in the community. The results of the survey will be shared with the City Council and public on January 18, 2022 at 3 PM as a Meeting of the San Clemente City Council.
“Mayor Gene James and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan have been working diligently on the future of emergency healthcare access in San Clemente. The City Council supported this survey so they could get a sense of where the public stands with regard to health-related services in the city,” said City Manager Erik Sund. “Surveys are an important part of hearing from the public as they include a wide swath of voices. I look forward to what we learn from the survey research firm and a robust discussion among our City Council.”
The survey was conducted by FM3 from December 4-12, 2021. The survey methodology used both telephone calls and email invitations to generate a proper random sampling of the community.
The survey process is only the latest effort by the City of San Clemente and the San Clemente City Council to address the emergency services needs of the community. The City has spent years looking for a hospital operating partner who would reopen the legacy hospital site off Camino De Los Mares. The City has also evaluated options for partnering with an existing health district in north San Diego County to reopen the site. With this survey, the Hospital Subcommittee hopes that the depth of concern and breadth of available policy options becomes more evident and will lead to a full review of policy options.
“I expect that these survey results could mark the beginning of an extensive council and community dialogue. The public is encouraged to follow along on this process, observe or comment at the Council meeting and stay informed,” concluded Sund.
Residents will have an opportunity to speak at the meeting, submit a written comment, or observe via YouTube and Cox channel 54.