Medical center facing cuts

At the April 29 public hearing in Laguna Beach on the hospital purchase, one woman, Kathie Baker testified she was shocked to discover that replacement jobs in the outpatient units were not posted at the hospital after the layoff notices went out.

Baker said she was concerned that the hospital’s long standing Senior Fitness classes, Parkinson’s Fitness classes and the Cardiac Rehabilitation gym would be closed down, and that the outpatient rehabilitation physical therapy gym would also be eliminated.

“The Senior Fitness classes at SCMC are unique because of the professional instructor who carefully watches, corrects, cautions and yet still challenges everyone in the class toward better balance, strength and mobility,” Baker stated. “The Parkinson Fitness classes are the only ones offered in our surrounding communities. If you could see the students’ enthusiasm as they come in to the room to work out in this class I honestly don’t think that anyone with a heart would shut these classes down as well as their hopes for a better body.”

One man wrote to the Cardiac Care department at Mission of his wife’s struggle with various heart ailments, saying her condition improved greatly due to the outpatient facility.

“My wife and many others who participate in the program live locally close to South Coast [Medical Center] and it would be a great strain on them to drive to Mission or Saddleback [Hospitals],” the letter states.

Others wrote they could not get to Mission Hospital at all and would have to drop out of the program.

However, Martinez said that patients will be able to access transportation through Mission’s arrangement with South County Senior Services.

“Mission Hospital currently has a long-standing, collaborative relationship with South County Senior Services, an organization that provides senior transportation,” Martinez said. “Again, if the transaction proceeds, our plan is to expand availability to the South Coast Medical Center service areas in order to meet patients’ needs for transportation to physician and hospital appointments.”

CINDY FRAZIER is city editor of the Coastline Pilot. She can be contacted at (949) 380-4321 or cindy.frazier@latimes.com.