Hospital Staff, Residents Clash at Hearing

As state mental health administrators unveiled a closure plan for Camarillo State Hospital, workers again clashed with residents at a public hearing Friday over makeshift plans to keep the facility open.

Hospital employees told Sen. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and other members of a state Senate subcommittee that the aging facility would be an ideal place to treat California’s burgeoning population of mentally ill criminals.

But a handful of homeowners told the same committee Friday to keep sexually violent predators out of Camarillo, and said they would rather see the hospital closed than converted to a medium-security institution.

“We have a California Youth Authority,” said longtime Camarillo resident Jean Daily Underwood. “Another prison we do not need. We need to think of the citizens of Camarillo and the outlying areas.”

Camarillo Councilwoman Charlotte Craven said that most of her constituents agree but are afraid to say so in public for fear of retaliation by hospital employees fighting to hold on to their jobs.

“You are hearing from us, but you are not hearing from many residents because they feel intimidated by the vocal, aggressive actions of state hospital employees,” Craven said.

“The public does not want to risk exposing themselves to threats . . . and consequently, they remain silent.”

Maureen Lynch, a field representative for the California State Employees Assn., took offense at Craven’s comments.

“We are not thugs,” she told the panel. “In addition to being employees, we are parents and registered voters.”

Thompson said he doubts that thousands of Camarillo-area residents oppose the proposed conversion but are afraid to speak out.

“I’m always a bit apprehensive about the silent majority that doesn’t come out to speak,” he said. “I’m more impressed with those who step up to the line.”

The state Legislature will ultimately decide the fate of Camarillo State.

Earlier in the day, the state had released a formal plan for closing the hospital by June 1997, including an explanation of why Camarillo State was chosen for closure and details on relocating the mentally ill patients and developmentally disabled residents there.

Even though state Mental Health Director Stephen W. Mayberg now recommends keeping the hospital open as a forensic facility that houses only patients ordered into treatment by California courts, the closure plan is required by state law.

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The blueprint for mothballing the 60-year-old hospital calls for moving the approximately 475 developmentally disabled patients to community homes and other state institutions.

Several residents and their relatives spoke in favor of keeping the hospital open as a treatment facility for patients committed civilly. The state has an obligation to take care of its needy, they said.

“We have to make the politicians realize that money isn’t everything,” said Dorothy Weinberger, whose 38-year-old daughter has lived at Camarillo State for seven years. “There are other places to find money. People’s lives are more important.”

Most of the nearly 400 mentally ill patients now at the facility would be sent to other state or county facilities, making room for sexually violent predators and psychotic criminals who do not exhibit dangerous behavior.

Under this scenario, most of the hospital’s 1,600 employees would keep their jobs, although some would be displaced or laid off.

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Robert Castro, a psychiatric technician at the hospital, said that sexual predators and other mentally ill patients pose more of a threat to the community when they do not receive treatment.

“These people will be placed into the community otherwise,” he said. “The treatment and care will be nowhere near what they receive here.”

In January, Gov. Pete Wilson proposed that Camarillo State be closed because the per-patient costs are too high.

But Mayberg said the hospital could stay open if it began treating mentally ill criminals such as those now housed at the overcrowded Patton and Atascadero state hospitals.

The issue has divided leaders and residents in Camarillo and throughout Ventura County.

Given the choice of losing the hospital’s $80-million annual payroll or converting the facility to a secured institution like Patton or Atascadero, many would rather see the place close.

“We know that some businesses will suffer,” Camarillo businessman Dick Wagner said. “We are willing to accept that.”

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State Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley), who wields a key vote as vice chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee, said she supports keeping the hospital open. But she opposes bringing in sexual predators.

“I think it can be worked out, but with restrictions,” she said after the three-hour hearing.

Wright said she is working with Mayberg to implement a screening process to ensure that no violent prisoners are moved into the hospital if the state Legislature votes to convert the hospital to a forensic facility.

County supervisors passed a resolution endorsing the conversion, as did city councils in Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo.

Supervisor John K. Flynn told the committee Friday that the “overwhelming majority” of Ventura County residents support converting the hospital to a forensic facility.

But two Camarillo council members oppose the conversion, arguing that allowing such patients at the hospital would jeopardize the safety of community residents.

Earlier this month, the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce voted to oppose the proposed conversion.

“Having a facility with an increased criminal element would negatively affect our efforts to attract future business to the Camarillo area,” President Dave Fowble wrote in the latest chamber newsletter.

“We will not tolerate having a facility which houses mentally ill prisoners or sexually violent predators.”

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Report at a Glance

In a report released Friday, state agencies gave several reasons for choosing to close Camarillo State Hospital rather than another state hospital. They include:

* Camarillo has the fewest developmentally disabled residents and the smallest mental health population of any state hospital or developmental center.

* Camarillo’s population has decreased steadily from its peak of 7,266 mental patients in 1954. It now has fewer than 400 mentally ill patients and about 475 developmentally disabled residents. Those numbers are expected to drop even lower in the future.

* Camarillo’s per capita costs--$113,806 for each patient this year--are the second highest in the Department of Developmental Services. Its costs for upkeep and maintenance are far higher than at any other facility.

* Camarillo serves a statewide, rather than a local population. Thus, relocating many of the patients to other hospitals or community homes could actually put them closer to their families.

* Camarillo services three unique groups of patients--the autistic, the developmentally disabled committed by courts and the mentally ill--that can be moved easily to other facilities.

SOURCE: California Developmental Services and Mental Health