CAMARILLO : Board Control of Hospital Is Urged

A member of the board of the Camarillo Health Care District said he will ask fellow board members tonight to seize control of Pleasant Valley Hospital if hospital officials do not agree within one week to rejoin the district.

“People of Camarillo gave birth to the hospital, and it should be that they should have some input into the ultimate fate of the hospital,” said Gerald Karpman, who is seeking reelection to the five-member board.

Karpman said he believes the public should have a say in what services the hospital would retain if it merges with St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. Several of the candidates vying for two seats in the Nov. 3 election have said they oppose the proposed merger.

If Karpman’s proposal passes, it would represent the first time the board has issued an ultimatum backed by the threat of legal action.

In past meetings, the board has voted to ask the hospital to consider becoming a partner with the district and to request that the hospital board secure the district’s approval of the merger agreement before completing the deal.

Karpman said the Pleasant Valley Hospital board has not responded to these requests. “We’ve given them a reasonable amount of time to interact with us and they haven’t,” he said.

The health-care district built and opened the hospital in the early 1970s and transferred it to a nonprofit corporation in 1983.

Board member Marion Gordon said she would support Karpman’s proposal. Member Gary Norris said he would not comment on how he will vote, and members Richard Culbert and Paul Rockenstein were unavailable for comment.

The district meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the district office at 3639 E. Las Posas Road.