COUNTYWIDE : Nursing Home to Be Built for Mentally Ill

One of Ventura County’s most vulnerable populations will soon have a house to call its own, thanks to the combined efforts of mental health activists and a number of public officials.

Construction will begin soon on La Posada, a group skilled nursing home that will accommodate 30 mentally ill residents on a 19-acre site in Camarillo that was donated by Camarillo State Hospital.

When La Posada is completed, mental health officials said they will at last have the type of supervised group facility the county has always lacked.

Presently, the county spends more than $1 million a year to house the mentally ill in skilled nursing facilities as far away as Bakersfield and Los Angeles, said Randall Feltman, director of mental health services. “We do not have any housing resource for people who are so impaired that they need around-the-clock care but do not need a hospital setting,” Feltman said at a recent dedication ceremony at the tree-shaded site.

The shortage of special housing in Ventura County has forced the mentally ill, “who are confused and vulnerable,” to leave their families, which are their strongest support, he said.

Many who attended the dedication were members of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill and a support group for relatives of the mentally ill started by Supervisor John K. Flynn.

The activists applauded Flynn for his efforts to spearhead the project, which include raising funds from federal and state sources in addition to contributions from Ventura County.

In his remarks, Flynn emphasized the need to treat the mentally ill with dignity. “This group home will take in people that some in our society have neglected,” Flynn said. “People suffering from mental illness have not been treated as they should.”

One couple who attended the ceremony, Lou and Jim Matthews of Ventura, said the group home will benefit their adult son, who suffers from schizophrenia. “From a personal point of view, La Posada will be important for our son because he can be close to us,” said Lou Matthews, who said she now must travel to Sylmar to see him.

“The mentally ill have special needs that require a special setting,” Matthews said, “and they can’t get that in single-room hotels, board-and-care homes, the street or jail.”