Group Seeks Inquiry on Hospital Fund Use

A Ventura County taxpayers organization Tuesday called for an investigation of the county hospital’s use of $90,000 for a recent public relations campaign.

The Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers accused the county hospital of using the campaign, which includes a professionally produced cable television program, to drum up support for a new medical clinic.

“We believe it is clear the county supervisors intend to announce plans, in the near future, to expand the [County] Medical Center, and that the taxpayer-funded public relations plan is an obvious attempt to lay the groundwork for such an expansion,” said Jere Robings, president of the alliance.

But county officials denied the accusations. They said the money for the yearlong public relations campaign came out of the county Health Care Agency’s educational fund, which is used to raise awareness about a wide range of health programs, including everything from child immunizations to mental health services.

“Our goal is to be more informative,” said Pierre Durand, director of the Health Care Agency. “We have an obligation to inform the public about what services we provide and where they are located.”

Ventura County Medical Center’s proposal to build a new $56-million outpatient wing was defeated by voters in a countywide referendum in March.

After the election, however, county officials said they had no choice but to come up with a plan to at least replace the hospital’s aging kitchen and laboratory. They said the facilities are so outdated and structurally unsound that the hospital could lose its state accreditation if not replaced.

But the county has yet to disclose its plans for the hospital.