Push for Moss Beach's Seton emergency room to reopen continues

The county recently partnered with Dignity Health to expand coastside medical services clinic into an urgent care, Ray Mueller, who represents the coastside on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, said. They’re also looking into creating an emergency room mobile clinic for the area, he added.

“Anyone right now who travels out to the coast on weekends or hot days is very aware of how long the line of traffic is, going both directions,” Mueller said. “We don’t want anyone to be trapped in a health care desert and have an inability to get appropriate medical service.”

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors also passed a resolution in late March urging AMHC Healthcare — the owner of Seton Coastside and Daly City Seton Hospital — to keep the emergency room open.

U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta July 10, asking for him to detail the office’s next steps for what she described as several violations of hospital owner AMHC Healthcare’s sale agreement, including a provision that the facility be maintained as an acute general care hospital until at least December 2025.

“I also had a highly unsatisfactory call with Dr. Tomas Aragon, Director of the [California Department of Public Health], on June 4, 2024, during which he relayed to me that the CDPH’s ‘hands are tied’ and that CDPH had no authority to prevent facilities from closing,” the letter read. “Today, I turn directly to you.”

The letter also cited portions of the sale agreement that maintained the emergency room stay open on 24/7 standby and the hospital would provide charity care at its coastside facility.

Tim Schulze, Seton Medical Center associate chief operating officer, did not respond to request for comment — but said previously that all individuals on the coast seeking emergency services should go to Seton Medical Center in Daly City in light of the closure.

Eshoo has also written twice to the California Department of Public Health, and it responded in an April 24 letter saying that the health care conglomerate had notified the department the emergency room would be closed until at least December for storm repairs, which included mold and asbestos abatement and seismic repairs.

“AMHC did comply with both state and federal requirements and timely notified CDPH that the Coastside building was damaged and needed numerous repairs to operate in a manner that is safe for residents, patients, and staff,” CDPH Deputy Director Cassie Dunham wrote in response.

Now, the focus is on looking into the reasons AMHC Healthcare provided for the closure and getting the emergency room back open as quickly as possible, Mueller said.

“I appreciate Congresswoman Eshoo and the fact-finding that she’s doing,” he said. “Our focus is getting those emergency rooms open again. Our focus is on working to try and verify the information Seton provided the state.”