Rep. Eshoo Presses CDPH For Additional Information Regarding Closure of Seton Coastside Facility

Washington, D.C.- U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) sent a follow-up letter to Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, Director of the California Department of Public Health, regarding her grave concerns about the decision to close the Seton Coastside facility earlier this month. Rep. Eshoo also requested additional details regarding the decision to close the facility that the Department has yet to provide.

Rep. Eshoo wrote, "In my letter dated April 4, 2024, I requested information on estimated repair timelines and whether alternatives to full-scale closure of the facility were considered by AHMC Healthcare, Inc. and not ultimately acted upon," including whether the Department visited the facility prior to approving its closure, whether outside damage assessments were completed, and whether steps were taken to notify community leaders of the pending closure.

Rep. Eshoo also requested an assessment of whether Seton Coastside's owner, AHMC Healthcare, Inc., remains in compliance with applicable state and federal laws while the facility's license is in suspension. Rep. Eshoo also enclosed photographs taken by her staff after the closure of the facility "to draw … attention to something missing from the photographs: ongoing construction. On two separate occasions there were no construction crews working on or near the facility and medical equipment was left outside the facility, exposed to the elements, posing safety and security risks to the community."

Rep. Eshoo continued, "As the only facility providing emergency services for 55-miles along the Pacific Coastline, the facility is a lifeline for acute medical emergencies as well as patients in need of skilled nursing. To say that patients should simply be fine to travel elsewhere ignores the terrain and geographical difficulties faced by the community, and suggests to me that the Department hasn't been to the location and made a decision lacking a knowledge of it."

You can read the full letter here.

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