Camarillo Hospital
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* Regarding the closure of Camarillo State Hospital (May 5), it’s certainly true that placing individuals with developmental disabilities in local communities is much less expensive than warehousing them in institutions. As the article noted, Camarillo costs about $114,000 a year per patient. Community care averages $35,000 a year per patient.
But costs are not the main reason for moving people with developmental disabilities into the community. Given some support, the vast majority of individuals with developmental disabilities fare much better in the world of nondisabled people than they do in a hospital.
Yes, some people have such severe disabilities that they cannot live outside of a hospital. But let’s give as many people with developmental disabilities as possible a chance to blossom as they assume their rightful places in society.
MIKE DANNEKER, Exec. Dir.
Westside Regional Center
Culver City
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