Aurora Vista del Mar Marks Post-Fire Rebuild
A pair of buildings at Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital succumbed to the Thomas Fire on Dec. 4. The facility offers behavioral health services to Ventura County residents.
The Thomas Fire razed two structures at Aurora Vista del Mar Hospital, cutting its capacity by 75 percent. On Tuesday, the Ventura County facility reached a long-awaited landmark — opening a refurbished building with 25 patient beds.
Because the hospital served as a regional center for adolescent psychiatric care, the fire shut down most of Ventura County’s space serving that population. Restoring it has been a behavioral health priority for the area. While the building’s opening doesn’t restore all beds, it represents a critical improvement for the region.
Work included demolishing damaged structures and adapting existing ones for inpatient use, facility staffer Haley Kiger explained.
“It was a big job — it’s gratifying to cross this finish line,” Kiger said.
Work will continue over the next several years to restore more capacity. Outpatient services will remain, for now, at a temporary site in Ventura, about four miles from the main facility. Aurora Vista del Mar may add additional beds too, taking it beyond its pre-fire capacity of 87, facility CEO Jenifer Nyhuis said in May.
Contact:
Audra Strickland
(805) 667-8215
astrickland@hasc.org