Healthcare district board passes capital budget
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

Jane Rozanski, head of the Camarillo Health Care District, keeps a copy of the letter Camarillo resident Russell Fischer wrote nearly eight years ago to thank the health district for driving him home from the hospital after eye surgery.

Fischer's ride was provided through the healthcare district's CareA-Van program- one of the myriad services the 23yearold special district offers.

Little did Jesus Galvan know- the driver who has since become the health district's transportation manger- that when the 93yearold citrus farmer died last year he would leave $2.75 million to the health district in appreciation for its services.

The unexpected windfall, managed by the Ventura County Community Foundation, was part of an $11-million fortune Fischer left to a handful of local service agencies.

Rozanski said although the money will help pay for the health district's fleet of 10 vans, the donation's annual interest wasn't accounted for in this year's capital budget.

The $177,000 budget was passed 4-0 by the health district board of directors on Wednesday. Board president James DeckerMahin did not attend the meeting due to illness.

Kara Partridge, a district executive, said the capital budget "ebbs and flows" on an annual basis and this year's budget is a little higher than most because of computer and facilities upgrades needed at the health district's campus on Las Posas Road.

The healthcare district staffs about 50 workers, including 19 fulltime employees, and operates on a $3.7-million annual budget.

It serves a reported 37,000 throughout the Pleasant Valley area and into Somis.

Similar to a school district, the healthcare district receives $1.7 million a year from property taxes and earns the remaining $2 million from fees for services, donations and various local, state and federal grants.

Six new computers and a network server make technology upgrades the largest line item in this year's budget at nearly $60,000. A close second in cost will be the purchase of 89 Lifeline units for a little more than $53,000. Lifeline is a small personal electronic device that allows someone to call 911 if they are hurt and cannot get to the phone.

Rozanski said the healthcare district sells and installs the Lifeline units and lists more than 1,100 customers subscribing to the service throughout Ventura County. She said the district is second only to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for Lifeline sales in Southern California.

The district will pay about $10,000 in upgrades to one of the district's vans.

Rozanski said the healthcare district expects to receive the first year of funds from Fischer's grant sometime in October.

She said the interest, about $130,000 a year, will be used to help upkeep the fleet of vans.

Rozanski said the health district works hard to "leverage" tax money to expand its services, such as its adult day-care program, its nail care clinic and its senior lunch program.

She said the district prides itself on finding grant money to supplement its revenue sources.

For more than a decade, the district has funded a large part of its Car-A-Van program through a Caltrans grant. In essence, the state grant pays for 80 percent of the cost of the vehicle, while the district pays for the remaining 20 percent.

Partridge said the district will pay only $11,400 for two new vans in the next five months. The remainder of the $100,000 price tag for the pair of vans will be paid for through the Caltrans grant. One of the older vans will be used as a backup, the other will be used by Lifeline services.

In July, the district received high marks from the Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission, which audits local public agencies that provide services across the county.

According to the report, the healthcare district is "financially stable and has no long-term debt."

As for the future, Rozanski said the healthcare district is preparing for the "tsunami" of baby boomers who will need services in the next five to 10 years.

"They are not as healthy as their parents, and there are going to be a lot more health issues that are going to surface," Rozanski said. "That's why a long-term strategic plan is so important."

To plan for those needs, Rozanski has invited alocal business and city leaders to help map out a five-year plan for the healthcare district in the coming months.