The community forum will be held at 6 p.m. at the Eden Mansion at 2451 W. Tennyson Road in Hayward.

A community forum will be held tonight to discuss plans by Kaiser Permanente to close its pediatric unit in Hayward next month.

The California Nurses Association, which opposes Kaiser's planned Nov. 17 closure, says the unit serves more than 1,000 families a year and more than 100,000 children in the Hayward area who receive health care from Kaiser.

The nurses' union says Kaiser is building a nearby hospital in San Leandro that is slated to replace much of the Hayward facility but hasn't made any plans to include an inpatient pediatrics unit there.

The union said closing the Hayward unit means that southern Alameda County families with children who need to be hospitalized will have to drive to Oakland, Santa Clara or Roseville for care.

The CNA says the fight to keep the pediatric unit open is being supported by a variety of public officials, community and labor organizations, teachers and parents.

The community forum will be held at 6 p.m. at the Eden Mansion at 2451 W. Tennyson Road in Hayward.