3 Named San Diego County Hospitals at Closure Risk: Scripps Mercy SD, Sharp Chula Vista, Tri-City Oceanside
OB Rag identifies the three named San Diego County hospitals on Public Citizen's 446-hospital watchlist: Scripps Mercy Hospital (San Diego), Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, and Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside). These facilities derive 20%+ of revenue from Medicaid and have run negative margins 2022–2024, making them first in line for service cuts or closure under H.R.
1's $911B/10-year Medicaid reductions. Projected California coverage loss: 1.4M in year one, 3.4M over 10 years.
Key points
- FHCSD, San Ysidro Health, Neighborhood Healthcare, and La Maestra depend on these 3 hospitals as primary specialist referral and inpatient handoff partners — begin diversifying referral relationships with UC San Diego Health and Rady Children's Hospital as a hedge
- Sharp Chula Vista's closure risk is especially acute for South Bay FQHC patients (majority Latino, high Medi-Cal dependency) — expect compounded access barriers if service reductions begin in 2026
Sources for this story
OB RagSources for your board packet
This story's source, the short version, and a citation, ready to print for your team or board.
Free. Unlocking the packet subscribes you to Intel Brief. You'll be subscribed right away, with no confirmation email. Unsubscribe with one click in any issue. If you unsubscribed before, we won't re-add you. We never sell your email. You can open each source above without an email.
Affected FQHCs
FQHC Talent. (2026, April 21). 3 Named San Diego County Hospitals at Closure Risk: Scripps Mercy SD, Sharp Chula Vista, Tri-City Oceanside. Source: OB Rag. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/sd-3-hospitals-named-closure-risk-april-2026