AG sues over coastal ER closure in Moss Beach

“The attorney general alleges what I’ve been saying for months,” Eshoo said. “AHMC blatantly violated its contract of sale agreement with the state of California and abandoned my constituents on the coastside.” 

The alleged violations include the closing of the Seton Coastside Emergency Department as well as the discontinuation of the stroke center at the medical center in Daly City, the lawsuit states. 

AHMC Healthcare purchased Seton Coastside and the Daly City hospital in 2020 with the stipulation that the hospitals must stay open for at least 5 ½ years and only close for the minimum amount of time possible if a closure was required. 

San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, who represents Daly City and supported when AHMC “rescued Seton out of bankruptcy” in 2020, said AHMC has an obligation to the contract.

“Patient care and the public health of my constituents are at risk and that is unacceptable,” Canepa said in a statement. “I implore Seton to right the ship immediately for the health and safety of its patients, some of the most underserved in San Mateo County.” 

Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo said in a statement she supported the 2020 sale “because of [AHMC’s] commitment to maintain essential and emergency services,” an obligation she said AHMC is currently failing to meet.

The Moss Beach emergency room was closed for damages after last year’s storms, which began April 1 and has been estimated to last up to nine months. However, county officials said they were not provided rationales for its necessity. 

“I can’t underscore this enough,” Mueller said. “This emergency room is the only emergency room on the San Mateo County coast, from the Santa Cruz County line all the way up into Pacifica.”

Patients in need of service during the closure were directed to Seton Medical Center’s Daly City campus, which Eshoo and Mueller both pointed out was an out-of-touch suggestion. 

“Not to address this, with the assumption that there was health care that could be provided 15 to 20 minutes away, said to me no one was on the ground,” Eshoo said. “There’s no such thing as getting from Pescadero all the way up to Daly City in 20 minutes.” 

Eshoo and Mueller have asked for transparent communication from AHMC, such as records submitted to the Department of Health for their request to close the emergency room, but have yet to receive such information. 

“Seton used the storm damage as an excuse to close the facility,” Eshoo said. “To say they were dishonest in the process is an understatement.” 

During this closure, the county has provided extra funding to Dignity Health Medical Foundation to expand its urgent care services on the coast, but Mueller acknowledged this is not the same as what an emergency room can provide. He said the county will look to AHMC for compensation for providing these services in the meantime. 

“This is not just about righting a wrong, it’s about sending a message,” Mueller said. “No corporation can put financial gain over people without facing the full weight of the law.”

The lawsuit asks  the court to enforce the agreement, impose fines and issue an order to reopen the coastside facilities and restore service at Seton Medical Center.