RNs call for equal access and care in county

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, nurses and health care professionals at Santa Paula Hospital (SPH) and Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) will protest county leaders’ decision to reduce life-saving health care options in the Santa Clara River Valley, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). 

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted on Aug. 18 to eliminate emergency and acute care services at SPH, by 2030 or sooner, and convert the hospital into a medical office building that would not be equipped to provide emergency services. Health care workers – along with community members – have raised their concerns that these changes will make it harder for Valley residents to access care. Valley residents experience worse health outcomes relative to the rest of Ventura County.

What: Protest to reverse elimination of emergency and acute care services at Santa Paula Hospital 
Who: Nurses and health care professionals at SPH and VCMC 
When: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, from 7:45 am to 9:15 am
Where: Ventura County Government Center | 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura, Calif. | the corner of Telephone Rd. and Victoria Ave.

“Instead of keeping health care close to home, County supervisors are forcing Valley residents to travel further for life-saving care,” said Tiffany Leon, RN who works in Santa Paula Hospital and Ventura County Medical Center and lives in Santa Paula. “Ventura County Health Care Agency's plans are inappropriate and unjust, which is unsurprising because they have barely engaged residents and the health care workers who care for them. This decision undermines equal care and access for our patients.”

An Aug. 7 “Future of Santa Paula Hospital” townhall in Santa Paula, organized by Ventura County Health Care Agency, was barely publicized, calling into doubt the extent of County leaders’ public awareness efforts.

Currently, SPH offers emergency, medical-surgical, telemetry, in-patient observation, and operating room services for rural residents of Ventura, Saticoy, Lake Piru, Santa Paula, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai Valley, and Santa Clara River Valley. Without emergent and acute care  hospital services, Valley residents will be expected to use the facilities at Ventura County Medical Center, which is 15 miles away from Santa Paula Hospital. The removal of these important services will leave thousands of community members out of reach of life-saving services. 

Tiffany Leon, RN and other health care professionals are particularly concerned about the impact on these changes marginalized communities, including the workers who power the County’s agricultural industry. She said, “All residents of Ventura County deserve a fully functioning hospital that is able to provide services for emergencies and other acute care needs. Nurses and health care professionals are taking to the streets to let our community know we are fighting for their health care and to demand County supervisors and health care administrators provide equal care for all Ventura County residents." 

In total, CNA represents over 900 health care professionals, including RNs, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psych techs, and licensed vocational nurses who work at two hospitals, ambulatory and specialty clinics, public health departments, and behavioral health clinics.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.