Dozens March to Keep Camarillo State Open

Dozens of people marched in downtown Ventura on Sunday night to call attention to Mental Illness Awareness Week, which begins today, and urge politicians to keep Camarillo State Hospital open as a mental health facility.

The issue of what to do with the state hospital and its more than 800 patients and 1,500 employees will be discussed by a task force today at 10 a.m. at the hospital.

A task force is considering a variety of public and private options for the 750-acre facility, including moving all of the patients to another hospital and using the site as the campus for Cal State University Channel Islands.

For the people who marched Sunday night from the Father Junipero Serra statue in front of City Hall to the corner of Santa Clara and California streets, where they held a candlelight vigil, the only logical option is to keep the mental health facility open.

“I care for the mentally ill, and it is important for Camarillo State Hospital to be kept open,” said Lita Biejo, a member of the Ventura County Mental Health Board.

Economist William Lawson said the closure of the hospital means an annual loss of $288 million and eventually the loss of 2,300 jobs in Ventura County.

“The closing of [Camarillo State Hospital] for only economic reasons is not justified,” Lawson said in a report. “The human suffering of patients, family, [hospital] employees and private employees should be enough justification not to close” the hospital.

Replacing the jobs once they’re gone would be close to impossible, Lawson said.

“We’re talking about high-priced jobs for which there are no alternatives in the county,” he said.