Dr. Richard Deamer, Vista del Mar Hospital’s (VDMH) first medical director, has returned to the same position. He was first hired in 1985 and stayed in the position for approximately 13 years. He officially begins as medical director in January 2020.
“I am looking forward to another term as medical director,” said Deamer. “I was very happy, and surprised to be offered the same position I had left about 20 years previous, and now as an older clinician who has kept up with the new developments in adult and child psychiatry, am looking forward to applying those developments in neuroscience in an inpatient setting.”
Deamer studied pre-medicine at Purdue University and graduated from medical school at Ohio State College of Medicine. A rotating medical/surgical internship followed at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Maricopa County in Phoenix, Arizona. He continued with his residency training in psychiatry and fellowship in child psychiatry at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, followed by two years in the Navy at Camp Pendleton. He retired from the Navy as a Lt. Commander in 1973.
After departing from Vista del Mar in 1985, he elected to work in underserved areas in Ridgecrest, Trona, Wasco and Taft, flying to these areas by taking advantage of flight training in general aviation obtained during his service in the Navy. For the last 10 years, he has been working for Kaiser Permanente as a child psychiatrist. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association. He is board certified in both adult and child psychiatry.
He and his wife Ann and two daughters, Kelly and Julie, arrived in Ventura in 1974 when he established a private practice. Like VDMH’s devastation from the Thomas Fire, the Deamer family lost their Ventura home. After two years of rebuilding, they are happy to be back in their home.
Dr. Deamer is looking forward to making a positive impact at VDMH. “We should see dramatic improvements in adult and teen mood disorders, and significant progress in outcomes of those suffering from severe mental ailments, including addictions,” he said.
Vista del Mar Hospital, which holds The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation, offers inpatient and outpatient programs for both adolescents and adults. The hospital specializes in stabilization and dual diagnosis for patients with mental illness and chemical dependency. In addition, Vista del Mar offers comprehensive outpatient services, including the Adult Partial Hospitalization Program, Adolescent/Adult Intensive Outpatient Program and the Adolescent Vista Day Program (partial hospitalization) to treat adolescence while maintaining academic responsibilities. The hospital also serves the military community with evidence-based therapies for active-duty military, veterans and their families. Vista del Mar Hospital is located in Ventura on 16 acres with ocean views.
