Congrats to Dr. Betsy Patterson, Alan Rains, and everyone who worked on this project to build a more robust emergency department at Ojai Valley Community Hospital. Excerpt:
Rains said the hospital, which opened in 1959, once operated as a for-profit entity. “The bottom line was very important, so they weren’t interested in physical improvements,” Rains said. As care at the hospital suffered, the board decided it had three options: sell the hospital to another for-profit chain, sell it to a local organization, or close it.
In 2000, the hospital was sold for $2.1 million to a foundation formed by a group of local physicians and community leaders. Although it then operated at a small profit, there wasn’t enough money left over for major improvements.
In 2005, the board decided to merge the hospital with Community Memorial Health System in Ventura — a merger Rains said has been working “perfectly.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Sorry, but I can’t get to excited about this because I don’t think very highly about their emergency room or the inept Ojai Valley Emergency Physicians Group. Last year I had to visit their Emergency Room (not life threatening but neither were the sprained ankles, etc. walking in the door). My injury required stitches and a tetanus shot. I waited 6 hours to be seen (this was a late evening visit) – finally leaving the hospital at 2:30AM. The on duty staff consisted of 1 doctor and 2 nurses. I then spent the next six months attempting to get the Emergency Physicians Group to bill the correct insurance company, another two months trying to convince their billing dept the bill was paid and while struggling to teach their ‘billing clerk’ how to open email attachments containing copies of the payments they had received from both myself and the insurance company.
During this 8 months I started researching the Ojai hospital ranking in Calif, and discovered they were substandard. I finally had to contact the ‘Mother’ company to resolve my problem, and informed them of the treatment I had received at the hospital, Emergency Physicians Group problems, and my findings on the hospital ranking. Their response was to put it in writing to them so they could investigate. Needless to say I did put it ‘in writing’ and never heard back from them, but the ‘overdue’ payment notices/threats stopped. Curious I checked the hospital’s standing tonight – shock of shocks the hospital (Ojai) is no longer participating in the rankings, and the Ventura group (Community Memorial Hospital) is promising ‘data available soon’. What is Community Memorial hiding?
As for me – if I ever have a true emergency I’ll direct the ambulance to the Santa Paula Hospital, and if I’m able to drive I’ll head to Ventura County Medical Center – I’ll only darken the Ojai Hospital for flu shots and x-rays – never any true medical issues/problems.
If you’re curious about hospital rankings –
Hospital Rankings
Another curious point – I’ve always gone to Ojai doctors. I recently went for a comprehensive physical. The doctor I go to referred me to labs in Ventura for the normal blood, urine, bone tests – and doctors at County Medical for EKG, stress and other tests. It appears the local doctors are even leary of the Ojai Hospital these days sending us out of the area for medical services.
Sorry to say, but I agree with the previous comment. There is little chance that I will be taking my family or myself to that hospital any time soon. I’m glad they got a new shiny emergency room, but I’m not at all convinced that will make them any more competent. In fact, my guess is it will go the other way.
What surprises me – when I made my post I was expecting several subsequent posts exhorting the positives about the hospital to drum my reply into the background as just a ‘wacko’. After all the benefit drives, mailings, galas, etc. I thought for sure my opinion of the hospital would be in the minority. To my surprise (expect for spk) ‘Ojai’ has remained mute. This makes me think the local folks have lost faith in their hospital, and why bother wasting their time posting a response to Tyler’s message about the ‘new’ ER. It’s kinda sad – but my opinion of the hospital remains unchanged.
The maternity services were closed down a few years ago forcing that group of patients to ‘out-of-area’ medical services – and we lost some very good, long term Ojai physicians during that transition. This transition changed the hospital’s focus to medical maintenance and the aging population in the Valley – which the hospital is now struggling to support. I sure wish the hospital could rebound to at least a ‘good’ hospital rating, but maybe it’s a sign of the times. Perhaps the hospital should rethink their model and become a triage/clinic center – stabilizing critical patients for transport to more adequate facilities. As the old saying goes “you can’t make a purse out of a sow’s ear” – the money being spent on the new ER could more efficiently be spent providing community services (e.g shot and wellness clinics) and transportation to ‘out-of-area’ – facilities for services. But this is a ‘for profit’ hospital and I don’t think they would be willing to let potential patients go to other facilities.
Future for the Ojai Hospital – unknown and questionable – despite their local benefactors……sad and a major loss to the Ojai Valley community.
Prior to moving to Ojai I lived in a community that was some distance from the nearest hospital (e.g. 1 – 2 hrs depending on traffic and weather). This community established a helo pad area for the transport of patients. Everyone knew if you had an emergency or critical situation – head to this spot and you would be transported ‘as fast as humanly possible’ to a hospital for care. Maybe this is the future for the Ojai Hospital. The hospital is closed and demolished, and a helo pad erected.
I have been reading all this with great interest as
right now my elderly parents are depending on the Ojai Hospital services. I have something to say, but want to be careful how I say it.
We are lucky to even have a local hospital–but if they want to improve, I hope they will listen to constructive criticism.