Record low in ER diversions

South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach recently set a hospital

record for having the lowest number of hours for diversion of

ambulances from its emergency room, hospital officials said.

Due to overcrowding and limited resources, many hospital ERs are

forced to close their doors routinely to ambulances, a situation

known as “ambulance diversion.”

At South Coast, incoming ambulances were told to take patients

elsewhere during just one hour for the entire month of March.

That is a very low number, considering that many other emergency

departments are clocking well over 100 hours of ambulance diversion

per month, according to Dr. Marc Taub, SCMC Emergency Department

Medical Director

Ambulance diversion does not arise simply from overcrowded

emergency departments, but is a hospital-wide issue, resulting from

inefficiencies in patient movement, inadequate bed and staffing

availability, and other patient coordination problems within a

hospital, Taub said.

“Our ability to avoid overcrowding and ambulance diversion

requires efficient service by emergency department staff and

physicians, along with coordination of all hospital departments and

strong support from hospital administration,” Taub said.

“We’re fortunate at South Coast to have these elements in place,”

Taub added.

South Coast ER is open 24 hours a day to provide care for minor

ailments to major illnesses and treats approximately 15,000 patients

annually.

Luncheon highlights legislative advocacy

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce is inviting business people

to attend a Tuesday, networking luncheon focusing on government

affairs.

Shaun Lumachi, the chamber’s governmental affairs coordinator,

will discuss the importance of business representation in policy

development, and attendees will be asked for their input on

legislative issues of concern.

The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Partners

Bistro, 448 S. Coast Highway. For tickets or more information, call

(949) 494-1018 or via e-mail, linda@lagunabeachchamber.org.

Council approves parking, traffic changes

The City Council unanimously approved April 19 five of six

recommendations made by the Parking, Traffic and Circulation

Committee.

The council approved recommendations to install two 30-minute

“green” parking zones on Laguna Avenue, next to the Hotel Laguna;

modify the residential parking program to preclude long-term

parking in green zones near the homes of resident parking permit

holders;

impose no-parking restrictions on the south side of Highland Road

in front of 261 Highland, the southerly side of Bluebird Canyon Drive

from the southeast corner of the street 50 feet northeasterly from

Glenneyre Street, and the northbound side of Hillcrest Drive along

the entire intersection of Fairview Street; and relocate a bus stop

from 940 Hillcrest Dr. to 990 Hillcrest Dr. to accommodate a new

driveway.

The green zone change means that residential parking permit

holders who were allowed to park for 24-hour periods at meters within

one block of their homes will now have to conform to the 30-minute

limit in green zones.

The installation of no-parking limitations will facilitate two-way

traffic and make access better for emergency vehicles, committee

members said.

Unitarians to auction trips and services

The Unitarian Universalists Fellowship of Laguna Beach will be

staging their annual services auction at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at

the Fellowship, at 429 Cypress Dr. Linda Frost, UU member and

repertory enthusiast, will once again serve as the auctioneer.

More than 50 services and social events will be auctioned. They

include sailboat and electric boat cruises, a ride on a private

Cessna 182, a day trip to Rosarito Beach, weekend house stays in

northern California, a room makeover, a photo session with a

professional photographer, and a dream vacation to just about

anywhere in the world (resort condo and air miles included).

A silent auction and bake sale will be held on the front patio of

the UU just prior to the auction. The services auction is the UUFLB’s

biggest fundraiser of the year.

Water Commission needs two members

The Laguna Beach County Water District board of directors is

trying to fill two vacancies on the five-member Water District

Commission. Commissioners will serve a two-year term and receive $175

a month in compensation. The meetings are held the second and fourth

Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in the district boardroom, 306

Third St. Applicants must live within the boundaries of the water

district. Applications are available at district headquarters, 306

Third St., and must be filed by 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 31. For more

information, call (949) 494-1041.