Aurora Vista Del Mar

I was KIDNAPPED from a hospital 2 hours south and locked up here AGAINST MY WILL on a ⁵¹⁄₅₀ In which my psychiatrist lied about me on the forms to put me here. I cried nonstop for three days straight until I learned that TEARS will cost you a longer stay. You are not allowed to cry in a mental hospital… how about that. I also lost all of my rights. I was their property until they saw me mentally fit. As it is I’m an eccentric, so how did they want me to «act»?
GOOD PARTS: Gentle staff, will give you sleeping pills if you need them. You may use the phone whenever you need to. Great meals and plenty of snacks. Once you are jacked up with pills, You can handle that shit. AND… they waived my late bill which was awesome.
BAD PARTS: NO FREAKING PRIVACY WHATSOEVER. You will end up rooming with someone who wants to stay awake with the light on when you want to sleep. …No outdoor access, no views. Just a walled-​off patio like a jailyard… The main doctor there has no bedside manner. Get ready to not have your concerns cleared up.
I also developed PTSD after my stay here. I’d say Vista is a lot better than some hospitals, but I came out lf there more messed up than when I went in.

Thank you Vista del Mar Hospital staff. You are dedicated and caring people. Thank you for all you do.

People who gave this place 5 stars must be working for administration. That’s all I have to say.

If I’d known it was gonna be this HORRIFIC I’d have chosen to go to VA in LA/​Wilshire Blvd. I know now I’d have been treated much better BUT more importantly been HELPED r/​t babysat by bunch of punk kids! Lol who ran «GROUP THERAPY»?? We had FIRE DRILL yesterday and nobody knew what the F@?K to do. We stood in HALLWAY didn’t evacuate hospital all SITTING DUCKS! Then the BOZO «CEO» woman came check and told them all GOOD JOB!!! SERIOUSLY!!! IF we had REAL FIRE we’d all have been killed! Either EVACUATE or have us stay in our rooms behind FIRE PROOF DOORS! I got my bill «my» 25% CO-​PAY for «2» days was $ 562 meaning each day there cost insurance $ 1000!!! RIDICULOUS! I think my souvenir for my stay was BED BUGS! Horrible place DO NOT GO THERE! IF I could they’d get NO STARS!

Unless the incompetent Medical Director is fired, you should never walk through the doors of this facility. I went it voluntarily at 47 yrs old for major depression (no suicide attempts ever) and when I even questioned the use of maximum FDA dosages of anti-​psychotic and anti-​anxiety drugs that I was being fed by the bushel full. they threatened to lock me up with all of my rights stripped. This was like a horrible nightmare, only it was really happening. I know have PTSD as a result of being hospitalized there. And please do not waste your hard earned money on their partial program either. This was by far the worst experience of my life. I went in as a result of my long-​term meds were no longer working. Now, that QUACK put me on 5 of them, when I came in taking only 1! I can’t even process the abuse it is so painful. Please benefit from my review of this absolutely horrible experience.

My daughter was admitted to this hospital on a Friday night, which was four hours away from our home, because it was the only peds psych hospital available with a bed. The doctor visited with her on Saturday and Sunday; however, we did not get to speak with him until Monday as he did not make himself available.
Visiting hours are from 6 — 7 pm weekdays and 1 –2 pm and 6 –7 pm on weekends. These are the only times you can visit with the patients. The visiting takes place in a long hallway and its not private, meaning you can see other patients and their visitors.
Their website says they are:
Caring in putting the needs of the patient first,
Compassion in treating patients with dignity and respect,
Excellence-​continuing to improve in services and progress.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. As an observer during my visit, I saw the very opposite.
The peds area is for children ages 12 –17.
My daughter was there for a total of 4 days. My daughter was very bored during her stay. They do not arrange for activities on the weekends other than a 40 minute to 1 hour group session. Other than that they have nothing to do other than mingle with the other children. They can read or watch tv but do not have access to pens or pencils. No other activities are arranged by the staff. Most of the caretakers are very young, perhaps in their 20s and it appears they do not have the training to properly deal with the children. My daughter saw four other children have melt downs and staff aggressively grabs them and administers a shot in the buttocks while in view of the other children. I heard and saw one child during my visit scream for her mother and shout «NO, NO, NO”-staff grabbed her and gave her a shot in the buttocks. Viewing that was difficult for me as an adult. I can certainly see how upsetting it would be for the children who are not mentally or emotionally stable. My daughter was able to keep in control because she wanted out of there; however, she said it was hard because they have nothing to do. During the week, supposedly, they have classroom instruction, but my daughter was there during their spring break so there was no classroom instruction.
I felt like I was in a hospital back in the 60s because of the «backwards» way the facility operated. I am very much surprised that mental healthcare is handled this way especially for children. Did they forget that they have mentally and emotionally unstable people who are vunerable? To stabilize and handle children in the way they did leaves much more to be desired.
My daughter said the doctor was insensitive and more interested in what her parents thought about her actions. It appears that this doctor has a heavy case load in that he sees the children and adults. His main concern was getting her on meds and increasing her dosage immediately. He wanted her on the same meds she had been on but obviously had not been working. We never did meet the doctor face to face but had 2 telephone calls. At her discharge the case manager said that the doctor called in her prescription to a pharmacy in our home town. He never did that-​so we had to wait an extra day to finally get in contact with him and have him do that.
We did have a ½ hour meeting with a case manager who was helpful and informative.
I was greatly disappointed by the lack of care that was provided in that they do not keep the kids engaged or busy with activities and its no wonder kids have melt downs when they are left with nothing to do. They certainly do not deal with the psyche of these patients only the physical issues and yet this is called a «psych» hospital. It is basically an expensive BABYSITTING facility with no activities and a shot as a punishment if you act up.
Someone or some corporation is making huge profits from this facility with very limited care and updated training techniques.

The worst experience ever! The lack of communication, planning and treatment was terrible! Don’t know if they have been bought, have new administration or what their lack of professionalism stems from.
To listen and believe the mentally ill patient without talking to family or current medical professionals is troublesome to say the least. To discharge a patient without consulting family members! Dropping mentally ill patient off at a rescue mission with no money, cell phone or to verify there was an open space! Patient has no street sense, left wandering the streets of Oxnard!
Then to top it all off Sarah and Sydney change their story to cover their lies!!! Do not trust Vista Del Mar to properly treat or care for you or your loved one!

Video review posted HERE:
You won’t be disappointed by the support, staff, and services. They truly care, and know how to help you change.