Board of Supervisors to decide replacement for Santa Paula Hospital

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors should see a big crowd at their Tuesday, Aug. 18 when at 10:30 a.m. they hear options for providing healthcare services in the Santa Clara Valley after Santa Paula Hospital closes in January 2023.

County officials and local residents, organizations and activists have been meeting to discuss a replacement for the Hospital on the Hill, opened in 1963 and built entirely with community donations, only one of three such medical facilities in the state.

In 2021, the county started working with local leaders and Limoneira Co. about the creation of a new hospital campus; it wasn’t until late 2025 that the plan was taken off the table by the county, which stated, among other reasons, that the proposed location at East Area 2 was not feasible due to access issues. 

The costs of the retrofit and required upgrades for 49-bed Santa Paula Hospital are approximately $35 million, but the county, facing an approximate $400-million shortfall over the next three years due to President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that slashed healthcare for those relying on government services, as well as the declining patient census at SPH, doomed the facility. 

There are three options for service delivery, ranging from a 4-bed micro hospital with an estimated cost of $100 million to $120 million and future losses of $74 million over five years, to Option 3’s standard urgent care. Option 2, a Medical Office Building + Expanded Access Care Center would offer a higher-capability care facility with on-site imaging, laboratory, and pharmacy services; extended daytime and evening hours with a wide array of outpatient, urgent care, and diagnostic services for low- and-moderate-acuity patients. Those found to require hospitalization would be stabilized at the center before transport to Ventura County Medical Center or another hospital. Ambulances would not transport Santa Clara River Valley area patients to the center, but directly to other hospitals. The cost would be approximately $35 million to $40 million dollars, with a $5.4 million net operating margin. 

County CEO Dr. Sevet Johnson and consultant John Freedman will recommend Option 2 to the board at the Aug. 18 meeting.

There is strong opposition to the plan from Santa Paula Latino Town Hall, which notes the significant loss of healthcare services to the low-income Latinx population, and the 10-year shorter life expectancy of Santa Clara River Valley residents.