For nearly three decades, I have worked as an emergency room physician. For the last 26 years, I’ve had the privilege of caring for patients at Tri-City Medical Center. I’ve stood beside families during heart attacks, strokes, traumatic injuries and life-changing diagnoses. I’ve seen firsthand what it means for our North County communities to have access to quality emergency and hospital care close to home.
Today, we stand at a critical crossroads in North County.
In Tuesday’s election, voters in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista and surrounding communities will decide the future of Tri-City Medical Center when they vote on Measure H, which would authorize a 30-year partnership and lease agreement between Tri-City Healthcare District and Sharp HealthCare to strengthen and modernize our community hospital — without raising taxes.
This is not about selling Tri-City. With passage of Measure H, our hospital will remain a community hospital, and the Healthcare District will continue retaining ownership. The real benefit of Measure H is allowing Sharp, one of California’s most renowned and respected not-for-profit health care systems, to bring the operational scale, investment, expertise and quality of care necessary to ensure Tri-City’s long-term future.
The health care landscape has changed dramatically. Increasingly, California hospitals face rising costs, workforce shortages and reimbursement challenges. According to industry data, one in five California hospitals is at risk of closure, and most operate with unsustainable margins. Community hospitals must evolve to survive.
Our Tri-City Board of Directors recognized that reality. After months of due diligence, public meetings and careful review, the board voted unanimously to pursue this partnership, believing it to be the best path to preserve and improve local access to health care for future generations.
As someone who has worked inside Tri-City for decades, I agree.
Measure H would allow Sharp to invest over $100 million to upgrade aging facilities, modernize medical technology and expand access to specialized care in North County. It would also create the opportunity to restore services that our community deeply values, including maternity care.
These improvements are not abstract. They directly affect patient outcomes.
In emergency medicine, minutes matter. Whether someone is suffering a stroke, heart attack or severe injury, timely access to advanced care can mean the difference between recovery and disability — or life and death. Tri-City has always been and remains a critical North County hub for access to emergency services for local residents. We were recognized in 2025 as the only hospital in San Diego County to achieve the American Heart Association’s Gold Standard performance level for both heart attack and stroke care, and the only San Diego hospital to receive Gold Award recognition for resuscitation medicine. Maintaining and enhancing that level of care is essential for North County families.
Sharp has demonstrated what long-term investment can accomplish. Its partnership at Sharp Grossmont Hospital transformed that campus into a leading regional health care provider, with significant facility upgrades and expanded specialty services over the past three decades.
North County deserves the same commitment.
Importantly, passage of Measure H will not increase taxes. It requires voter approval because California law mandates public authorization for agreements involving long-term operational transfers of public hospital assets.
As both a physician and as CEO, my responsibility is to address today’s challenges and protect the future of health care in our community. Standing still is not a strategy. Without meaningful investment and partnership, uncertainty will continue to grow, potentially forcing residents to travel farther for emergency and specialty care.
Wondering if this matters to you because you receive your health care elsewhere? Consider this: Emergencies are unpredictable. Whether you’re a Scripps patient, Kaiser member or uninsured resident, in a heart attack, stroke, car accident, wildfire or earthquake, first responders may bring you to Tri-City Medical Center because it’s the closest lifesaving facility. A strong local hospital benefits everyone.
Measure H offers a responsible, community-focused solution.
That’s why local physicians, nurses, first responders, elected and civic leaders, former patients and so many others support Measure H. They know what’s at stake: improving local access to high-quality hospital care for the people of North County — today and for decades to come.
On Tuesday, please join me in voting yes on H for a stronger health care future in North County.
Ma, M.D., is the CEO of Tri-City Healthcare District. He is a 29-year emergency room physician and a Carlsbad resident.