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 takeaways
- 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
Primary source
OB RagAffected FQHCs
FQHC Talent. (2026, April 21). 3 Named San Diego County Hospitals at Closure Risk: Scripps Mercy SD, Sharp Chula Vista, Tri-City Oceanside. Primary source: OB Rag. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/sd-3-hospitals-named-closure-risk-april-2026