Henry Mayo Hospital Expansion

When Hospitals and schools are downsizing, Henry Mayo Hospital is expanding.

The Santa Clarita City Council announced Tuesday that it will grant $40,000 to a consulting firm to determine how much expansion is needed for Henry Mayo Hospital.

The expansion is to counteract the growing number of residents leaving the community as they cite inadequate health care by the hospital as a reason why.

“The sent my mother to a hospital in Tarzana, because they [the hospital] could not accommodate her,” said Langston Tajun who lived in the community for 16 years prior to moving.

Mayor Marsha Mclean and fellow council members in a unanimous vote agreed to pay Kurt Soloman Associates to conduct a one month study to determine the appropriate amount of expansion needed for the hospital.

“The specific function of KSA will be whether more doctors, rooms, or medical facilities would be most beneficial to the hospital,” said Councilmember Tim Ben Boydston.

A viewpoint that does not make any sense to CEO and President of Henry Mayo Hospital Roger Seaver, “Obviously, if you have more rooms, you will need more doctors.”

“It’s about money, their trying to get away with the bare minimum,” said Seaver. Currently, Henry Mayo is the primary hospital in the Santa Clarita Valley with a population of 151,088 according to a U.S. Census report.

The council in a previous meeting agreed to add 55 beds to the 217 bed hospital. The expansion is in the early stages of a 25 year plan.