Alta Bates is the largest private, non-profit medical center in the East Bay, serving 60,000 patients a year, including 50,000 ER visits and 6,000 babies delivered. Sadly, Sutter Health has announced its intention to close Alta Bates by 2030. 

And as we’re seeing right now with COVID-19, Alta Bates plays a vital role in any major disaster. Berkeley also straddles the Hayward Fault and is vulnerable to catastrophic earthquakes and fires. We must maintain our ability to respond to the present, and future, emergencies.

Closing Berkeley’s only hospital could also have significant impacts on the well-being of people living throughout the region, particularly in the areas of birthing, emergency department access and disaster response.

Impacts would be most acutely felt by the elderly, the uninsured, individuals experiencing homelessness and communities of color. Also impacted would be tens of thousands of Cal students, who rely on proximity to a full-service hospital.

Please add your name to Sophie Hahn’s letter to Sarah Krevans, CEO of Sutter Health, urging Sutter to continue meeting with local leaders to explore all options to keep Alta Bates as a full service acute and emergency care hospital in Berkeley.