HISTORY 1

A BRIEF HISTORY

In the late summer of 1933 a groundbreaking was held in a rural area of Southern California. The ceremony was attended by community leaders, landowners, politicians, and other interested parties. Included in this group was then Governor James Rolph. In his inaugural address two years earlier Rolph had said “Little does it comfort us, though the public at large be prosperous and happy, if our less fortunate, broken, sightless or demented kindred are forgotten and neglected. The cry of human need is the first call that we must answer “. Those words may well have been remembered two years later as that first shoveling of earth commenced the construction of what would become California’s most famous psychiatric institution, Camarillo State Hospital. The date was August 15, 1933.

Located approximately 40 miles north of Los Angeles the planned hospital would be situated in a tranquil valley at the foot of the nearby mountains. To the east was a rift in those mountains named Long Grade Canyon. Westward were flat-lands stretching 9 miles to the Pacific Ocean. The closest community was the small town of Camarillo which was located just a few miles to the northwest. The town was named after the Camarillo family who at the turn of the century owned approximately 10,000 acres of land in the area.

For decades the head of the Camarillo family, Adolfo Camarillo, had been partnered with Joseph Lewis in developing the land for farming. In 1929 the State of California purchased a large section of this land in order to establish the new state psychiatric hospital. The federal Public Works Administration, formed by FDR as a part of the ‘new deal’, joined with the State of California in the construction of the hospital. On October 12^th 1936, with the new Governor Frank Merriam’s official dedication, Camarillo State Hospital opened its doors to the first of many thousands of patients.

Initially the hospital was comprised only of male patients who were housed in one very large single complex of units. This complex contained a multi-acre central courtyard, a cavernous dining hall, and was distinguished by a mission-like bell tower erected on its north facing side. By 1940 the patient population at CSH had grown so large that a second large complex was built just north of the original. A tree lined mall separated the one way streets fronting each complex. One factor in the rise of the hospital census was the admission of female patients beginning a year or so after the opening of the hospital. The female patients came to be housed in the north complex while the males continued to live in the one to the south.

Image of newly constructed south complex. Photograph probably taken in 1935 prior to Hospital opening

Other facilities were soon added to the growing institution. A large two story honeycomb-like building was constructed just east of the two central complexes. This was called the ‘RT’ building. RT stood for ‘receiving and treatment’. This building would house the primary medical services of CSH. Within it were inpatient wards for the physically ill as well as outpatient clinics. The pharmacy, morgue, surgical suite, and many other departments were located within the RT building. The hospital's admissions department was permanently located there as well.

The 'RT' Building. Hospital Administration Building is also seen at upper right.

Directly in front of the RT building a smaller two story administration building was constructed. The administration building was picturesque with tasteful landscaping and slightly more modern look than the older buildings. It would house the offices of the executive and medical directors of the hospital as well as other upper management personnel. Within the administration building were the medical records department and the hospital telephone operator.

Camarillo State Hospital Administration Building

The residential communities near Camarillo State Hospital were relatively small during the early years. With more than 1,500 employees soon to be working at CSH additional housing for many hospital staff was constructed on the grounds of the institution. The staff ‘homes’ were located about a half mile northeast of the central complex in a small valley. Over the years many different types of buildings would come to be built for the homes. There was a small neighborhood of ‘stand alone’ houses constructed for administrators and physicians. There were also multi-unit buildings containing hundreds of residences for others either employed by CSH or otherwise affiliated with the hospital. The ‘homes’ became a mini-community over the years with its own history of events and scandals.

Aerial view of employees housing. The 'Homes'

During these early years much of life at Camarillo State Hospital was self contained. As part of their vocational therapy during those years many patients helped plant, nurture, and harvest crops from the fields located on the hospital grounds. Much of the produce from these fields would be used by the hospital itself with the remainder then sold. The facility also had its own dairy. As the years passed a swimming pool was added as well as a multi-purpose auditorium which hosted many activities ranging from movies and dances to official hospital functions. For years a hospital band comprised of patients and staff would entertain audiences throughout the hospital. A coffee shop ‘The Canteen’ was built at the northwest corner of the complex which served both staff and patients. There was a small bowling alley in the south complex and, in later years, a television studio.

In the late 1940s CSH began to treat children with psychiatric disorders. It was soon obvious that the younger children would benefit from being housed in a setting separated from the adult patients. Thus began construction of the Children’s Units (CU) complex. A section of land about halfway between the main complex and the employee ‘homes’ was chosen for the construction site. Work was completed there in 1955. The CU facilities were strikingly different in appearance than the other buildings at the hospital. They were for the most part all red brick structures set along a circular drive. CU was, in many ways, a hospital within a hospital. It had a dining room, swimming pool, playgrounds, elementary/middle school, and even a petting zoo. Generally the ages of the patients there were between 6-15 years. In later years young autistic patients were also included on a unit in the CU compound.

Photo of one of the Children's Units 'CU' which was located in the Children's Program facility east of the central hospital complex

Adolescent patients were housed in the Adolescent Program which, for most of the hospital’s existence, was located in the northern section of the north main complex. Eventually they too would have many separate facilities including a high school. During the final years of CSH the adolescents would be housed in units in the bell tower area of the south complex.

Plaque located at entryway to Adolescent Program

Wide-ranging changes occurred at Camarillo Sate Hospital in the 1950s and 1960s. The advent of the use of the major tranquilizers and other medications allowed for far more effectiveness in therapy at CSH as well as other psychiatric facilities. Episodes of violence decreased and became more the exception than the norm. There was a give and take to the use of these substances however. There were often undesirable side effects of the drugs and sometimes overmedication of patients occurred as well. At CSH, as at other mental institutions, there were other more disturbing procedures performed during the mid-20^th century. For a number of years lobotomies were administered at the hospital resulting in irrevocable damage to those patients. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was also used at Camarillo. Although it was an effective intervention in some cases, the overuse of it both therapeutically and punitively contributed to its cessation at the hospital by the 1970s.

Advertisements for new psychoactive drugs. Ritalin ad from 1956, Thorazine ad from 1957, and Stelazine ad from 1959

The biggest change at Camarillo State Hospital occurred in 1967 when the hospital began to house patients with developmental disabilities. The main north complex was chosen to house the ‘DD’ population. Patients suffering from mental retardation, autism, organic brain disorders, and other disabilities comprised this group. Some were profoundly affected by their disorders and were very low functioning. They would require constant supervision and assistance to perform even simple activities of daily living. Many others were high functioning and were able to lead relatively happy lives at the hospital. Educational programs were created for these high functioning patients including a variety of vocational programs. There were workshops in the north complex where they would learn arts and crafts as well as other skills which helped prepare them for entry into the outside world. Some of the items the DD patients produced in the workshops became popular in the communities beyond the hospital grounds. In particular their wind chimes as well as small ‘pebble people’ (collections of stones with painted faces) were in steady demand. Of major importance to all patients and staff on the DD side were the Special Olympics activities. The Special Olympics programs gave to all a sense of enjoyment, accomplishment, and pride.

Special Olympics button, circa 1977. S.O.B. stands for 'Special Olympics Booster'

The conversion of the north complex required a relocation of the female mentally ill patients previously housed there. Those patients were integrated into the south complex population. Most of the units there became co-ed although a few remained either all-male or all-female. The Adolescent Program would continue in the north complex until the early 1980s when it too was relocated to the southern compound. One unit remained constant during this period. This was unit 45 which housed the UCLA research program.

At the end of the 1960s another event would bring about many changes at Camarillo State Hospital. This was the enactment of the Lanterman Petris Short act. The‘LPS’act provided for strict limitations on the length of commitments of persons with mental disorders in California. Coupled with regular reviews and more formalized criteria for hospitalization the new codes created conditions wherein many patients were discharged more rapidly than they previously would have been. Arguably sometimes patients were discharged into the community without receiving needed treatment over the objection of the hospital. Overall though this was a positive step in the legal and human rights of the mentally ill.

While the hospital was still in the process of adapting to these legal and institutional factors another event occurred which had a major impact on the facility. In 1976 Ventura County opened grand jury investigations into suspicious patient deaths at the hospital. The investigation and findings resulted in a number of indictments of hospital staff members in early 1977. As a result of the inquiry the state instituted many changes in procedure at all the state hospitals and at Camarillo in particular. Among them was the adoption of strict guidelines in procedures governing the observation of suicidal patients and of patients in restraints. Safety procedures were re-examined and improved. The consequences to staff found to be negligent or overly aggressive toward patients were increased and the power of the ‘Patients Rights Advocate’ office was greatly strengthened. The Patient’s Rights Advocate investigated client complaints and monitored compliance with patients' rights.

1975 headline from newspaper article written in the months leading up to the 1976 CSH grand jury hearings

The state hospitals were extremely expensive to run and since the mid 1950s California had been examining ways of either eliminating the facilities or at least significantly cutting back on expenditures for them. The changes made by the enactment of the LPS act as well as other legislation led to the formation of a plan to de-institutionalize the state hospital patients. The ‘plan’ was to have smaller community treatment centers established and to gradually shift responsibility for the patients to them. Unfortunately due to funding shortages across the board most of the envisioned community facilities never materialized. Patients were released in steadily increasing numbers into communities that were seldom prepared to meet their needs. The mentally ill patient population at Camarillo had greatly decreased by the late 1970s and over the next few years many units would be shut down forever. Programs considered expendable were curtailed. One of these was a prototype drug treatment program called ‘the family’. Although it had been shown to be effective it could no longer be maintained and it was closed in the mid-1970s

The 1980s brought a continuation of cutbacks at the hospital. State and federal budgets for mental health treatment were severely diminished and by 1990 the reality that the hospital might not survive was becoming apparent to all. Staff morale had been declining for some time but as the first years of the 1990s passed it plummeted. By the mid 1990s the rumors of closure had escalated to the point where many of the staff were investigating options for employment elsewhere, both in the state and private sector. Finally, it was announced that the state hospital at Camarillo would close in 1997. During the first six months of that year the patients remaining at the hospital were steadily removed. The DD patients were transferred to other state, county, or private facilities. Of the remaining adult and juvenile psychiatric patients as many as possible were placed into the community. The most unmanageable and profoundly ill were transferred to alternate state hospitals. Most went to Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk California. After 61 years Camarillo State Hospital was permanently closed during the summer of 1997.

Photo of deserted nursing station of unit 80 in the RT building taken less than a month after closure of the hospital