PeaceHealth to close Eugene's only hospital; nurse's union calls move 'disastrous'

PeaceHealth is closing its Eugene hospital and moving services to its other location in Springfield, according to an announcement Tuesday morning.

This will leave Eugene, a city of about 178,000 people, without a hospital.

The PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District, which first opened in 1936, employs hundreds of nurses, healthcare professionals and staff. A release sent out by PeaceHealth called the hospital "underutilized."

PeaceHealth stated patient volume has been declining, causing the hospital to lose an average of $2 million per month. University District has about 95 patient visits daily, with about 15.5 patients per month admitted as inpatients and 7.5 patients per month admitted for observation, according to the hospital.

"As the needs of the Lane County community evolve, PeaceHealth services and sites of care also need to evolve to ensure compassionate, high-quality care now and in the future," Alicia Beymer, chief administrative officer of the University District hospital, stated. "We believe consolidating some services at RiverBend will provide an enhanced care experience."

PeaceHealth plans to transition inpatient rehabilitation, emergency department and related medical services to the PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, which is six miles away in Springfield and was opened in 2008.

Emergency services will phase out of University District in November. Inpatient rehab will temporarily relocate in early 2024, with plans to open a larger rehab facility in 2026.

At the Eugene location, ambulatory services, including PeaceHealth Medical Group clinics and Home & Community services, will remain open. The Eugene location will also continue providing behavioral health services at University District "until there is a sustainable alternative in the community."

Where else can patients go?

The other hospitals serving Lane County are:

• PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, 3333 RiverBend Drive, Springfield.

• McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, 1460 G Street, Springfield.

• PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center, 400 Ninth Street, Florence.

• PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center, 1515 Village Drive, Cottage Grove.

'Horribly short-sighted decision'

As a long-standing pillar of the community, University District was first purchased by PeaceHealth, which transitioned from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Newark, in 1936.

The former Pacific Christian Hospital was bought for $50,000 and renamed the Sacred Heart General Hospital. Since then, the hospital has undergone numerous modifications, with a six-story wing added in 1941, and other buildings to follow.

The facility now takes up about two city blocks between 11th and 13th avenues and Patterson and Alder streets.

PeaceHealth stated that it is "committed to retaining its valued caregivers as it evolves its care services in Lane County, finding equivalent positions within PeaceHealth’s Oregon network."

Scott Palmer, chief of staff for the Oregon Nurses Association, called the decision a "disaster."

"It's a horribly short-sighted decision on the part of PeaceHealth, and they should reverse that decision immediately," Palmer said, adding that ONA and University District staff were blindsided by the email sent Tuesday morning that alerted the staff to the impending closure.

ONA recently settled a long-negotiated four-year contract with the hospital, which was ratified by the union Aug. 14. Palmer said if negotiators had been aware that closure was possible, bargaining would have gone very differently.

"At no point during those negotiations were we or any of the nurses given even the slightest hint that a closure of university district hospital was on the table," Palmer said. "This is a huge, huge disastrous decision that is going to impact not only the hundreds and hundreds of staff at the hospital, but the tens of thousands of people in Eugene.

"We're concerned that this is going to have immediate, dramatic and dangerous impacts on the health of the people of this region."

Palmer said on Monday, the wait time at Riverbend's emergency room was 18 hours. With a closure, it's assumed that wait times will get even longer at the Springfield hospital.

Palmer said ONA is working with other local union groups and organizations to do what they can to reverse this decision and keep University District open.

Alan Dubinsky, communications director of the Service Employees International Union Local 49, said the union is still assessing the potential impact on its members at University District.

Dubinsky said tSEIU Local 49 represents about 1,800 healthcare workers and staff among three PeaceHealth hospitals in the Northwest: University District, Riverbend and St. John Medical Center in Longview, Wash.

Workers represented by SEIU include receptionists, certified nursing assistants, clinical and medical assistants, emergency room technicians, phlebotomists, ambulance aides, MRI and ultrasound technicians, physical therapists, pharmacists, social workers, nutrition service workers and janitorial workers. In general, these workers make up about 50% of hospital staff.

Dubinsky said SEIU is waiting on more information and did not have a further statement.

"We should know more in the coming days," he said.

Lane County official response

During the Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Lane County commissioner Laurie Trieger commented on the announced closure, expressing her disagreement.

"The closure will have far-reaching negative impacts," she said. "It is alarming to think that the third largest city in this state will have no emergency room. This closure will decrease access and degrade healthcare in our community, and we should all be very concerned."

Trieger said "we've all seen" what traffic can look like at certain times of day traveling over the river. She was concerned about how the closure could affect getting someone emergency care for things like ingesting poison, allergic reactions or asthma attacks when every minute counts.

She added that the unhoused population in downtown Eugene will be greatly affected, as they may be picked up in an emergency from Eugene, then discharged miles from where they were.

Trieger also highlighted several other unique programs at University District that could end with the closure of the hospital, like the Acute Care for Elderly unit.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: PeaceHealth announces closure of University District hospital