Mission Hospital to share its plans

Mission Hospital Laguna Beach has invited the public to attend an hour-long presentation Tuesday to hear about its long-term plans.

Hospital Administrator Michael Beck announced the presentation at the March 1 City Council meeting.

“After a lot of assessment and analysis and a lot of engagement of a lot of really smart people — and a lot of expensive people, too, Mission Hospital has developed a long-term plan for Mission Hospital Laguna Beach that we would like to share with the public and engage the community dialogue around,” he said. “We look forward to seeing everyone there and seeing how in five, 15 or 30 years Mission Hospital will be committed to providing excellent care to this community while also being a good neighbor.”

Beck also recapped some hospital achievements in 2010, including the implementation of a three-year strategy plan.

“Seniors are a big priority for the hospital and one of the ways we show that is in the last year we have continued to fund transportation for seniors,” Beck said. “In the past year we have provided transportation round trip from their homes to physicians’ offices, to dentists and to the hospital.”

Beck reported that a little more than 2,300 trips had been provided and expressed confidence that the number would increase in 2011.

Another top community issue for the hospital is the prevention of alcohol abuse by the city’s young people, which came out in the Needs Assessment Study conducted by the hospital in its first year in Laguna.

“One of the outcomes of that is that Mission Hospital is now partnering with the Community Coalition, facilitating and leading the activities that the coalition has been working on for quite a while,” Beck said.

The coalition includes representatives from the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna, the Laguna Beach Unified School District, the Police Department and other agencies, Beck said.

Beck concluded by inviting the council and the public to the meeting from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, in the hospital auditorium, 31872 Coast Hwy.