LAGUNA HONDA: Editorial Supports Proposition ‘A’
An editorial in the San Francisco Examiner urges citizens to vote tomorrow in favor of Proposition A, a meaure to rebuild Laguna Honda Hospital. If approved, $299 million in bonds will be granted toward renovating the 133 year-old institution that prides itself on not turning anyone away. The editorial cites predictions that the "number of 'older-old' in San Francisco -- those people who are 85 and older -- is expected to nearly triple from 11,400 in 1990 to 31,300 in 2010. The editors warn that, "San Franciscans need every one of Laguna Honda's 1,200 beds -- and the 200 beds also proposed." The hospital offers nutrition programs as well as HIV/AIDS facilities and a hospice center, all of which are needed as the "age wave" of elderly and disabled "breaks." The editorial asserts, "Unless something is done, further reductions are inevitable in the number of patients served(already cut from 1,166 to 1,065). Where will they go? Most likely, they'll be shipped out to nursing homes in other cities, as happens now when Laguna Honda is full. Some patients may remain in acute care hospitals such as San Francisco General, which costs much more and may occupy a bed required by someone who actually needs acute care." With 800 volunteers and $250,000 in contributions towards the campaign for Proposition A, the editorial writes, "For many of The City's most vulnerable -- the frail elderly, the disabled -- [Laguna Honda] is their last resort" (San Francisco Examiner, 10/31). Click here for California Healthline coverage of months of debate over Laguna Honda.
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