The closing of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital's Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is an important step in the improvement of health care and acute patient care in the Santa Clarita Valley. Our seniors (and I am one!) will not be ignored or rejected. The TCU closing means they will get faster treatment in the emergency room and will get quicker acute care with more available beds. If the community really wants more hospital beds, closing the TCU guarantees that in short order - 27 more acute care beds!

I don't understand how anyone can still believe that Henry Mayo's master plan and immediate expansions in process can be described as "nothing regarding a hospital." As a board member of the foundation, every discussion, every expenditure, every plan, and every goal discussed does NOTHING but improve the medical services to the community AND expand the hospital capability. From the new emergency room expansion and the impending catheterization lab and neo-natal intensive care unit, to the dramatically improved radiology capability with the 64 slice CT scan, all medical services have been improving.

These are the plans that Mr. Roger Seaver has been promoting.

Mr. Seaver and his management team have done more to advance the capability of Henry Mayo and improve health care delivery here in the SCV than any other group or company. He is working hard to develop a long-term, fiscally-sound, and thriving medical center that can meet the needs of our aging population in 10 years. Without his team, the hospital we have today might not have even existed, and we would all be going over the hill for our basic hospital needs.

I believe the community is beginning to see past the few voices that continue to spin the facts negatively, and is starting to realize that Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital IS our only hospital - and will be for at least the next 10 years. We need to support this management, encourage the long term plan, embrace the hospital growth, and work together as a community to assure the new patient tower is built as planned.

This will assure the future health care of the Santa Clarita Valley and its aging population.

I urge Mayor Kellar, Ms. Ender, and all the city council members to really listen to the majority of the people of Santa Clarita. We support the master plan. We trust Henry Mayo to continue to expand and deliver quality medical care to the community. We know Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is here for us today, and will be tomorrow with planned growth in progress!