New modular unit adds 12 treatment spaces to St. Charles Bend emergency department
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- St. Charles Bend opened a new modular rapid medical evaluation unit Monday, adding 12 patient treatment spaces to its emergency department.
The unit is designed specifically for patients with lower-severity health care needs to help ease emergency department capacity constraints and reduce patient wait times. Along with the 12 treatment spaces, the facility includes two bathrooms, a supply area, and a nurses' station.
Stacy Youngs, vice president of operations for the Bend hospital campus, stated that rapid population growth in Central Oregon has frequently left the emergency department operating at full capacity.
“As our Central Oregon community continues to grow at a rapid pace, our Emergency Department is often full, which can sometimes mean long waits for care or treatment in creative spaces like hallways, which is not ideal,” Youngs said. “The opening of this unit is an important first step while we continue to work on more permanent long-term solutions to address space constraints.”
The health system aims to nearly double the capacity of the Bend Emergency Department over the next two decades. Hospital officials noted that constructing new permanent medical space is an expensive, multiyear process, making the modular unit an intermediate solution to expand available care space.
The installation of the new unit was funded in part through community donations to the St. Charles Foundation, which is maintaining ongoing fundraising efforts for future emergency department expansions and related emergency services.
“We are grateful for the many members of our community who helped support the addition of this new unit and who are continuing to support future expansion for our emergency services across the system,” Youngs said. “Because of your generosity, we've been able to care for our community through some of life's most difficult moments. We appreciate the ongoing support.”
Headquartered in Bend, St. Charles Health System is a private, nonprofit Oregon corporation and the largest employer in Central Oregon, employing more than 5,000 caregivers. The system owns and operates hospitals in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond, as well as family care clinics in Bend, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters. More than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members partner with the health system.
