Lack of hospital would negatively affect property values

This letter is to state my support for maintaining basic emergency room services at Fallbrook Hospital in lieu of having attended the public hearings.

I am Robert Hillery, broker/owner of CR Properties Real Estate Services. I have lived and worked in Fallbrook since 2002 and am active with the Chamber of Commerce, having served on the board of directors continuously since 2008 and president in 2011.

As a Realtor, I know an important part of a purchase decision is having basic emergency services capability in town. If emergency cases had to be transported to Temecula or Escondido, it can take up to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, which can be a life-threatening length of time.

My home inspector and his wife have been treated in the Fallbrook emergency room on separate occasions after which they were each told they likely wouldn’t have lasted the drive time to another hospital.

If there was no hospital, it is my belief that some people would decide to leave, while others would not make a purchase decision in Fallbrook, and accordingly Fallbrook area real estate values would be negatively impacted.

As a member of the Chamber of Commerce, I know how important the hospital is to Fallbrook’s economy, as it is the area’s number two employer. Without that, this area would be severely impacted and many local businesses would be affected.

Robert W. Hillery