St. Charles Madras about to get major overhaul

St. Charles Madras has seen many changes over the years, but now they are about to undergo their biggest yet: a $16 million expansion that will add 26,000 square feet to the hospital.

“It was built in 1967,” Jeanie Gentry, CEO of St. Charles Madras and Prineville’s Pioneer Memorial Hospital, said Friday. “Our operating room is vintage.”

Now, officials decided it is time to breathe new life into the facility. Gentry believes the expansion will can save lives.

“We currently only have one operating room. So with two, there won’t be any more possibility of a case being delayed or interrupted because of an emergency,” Gentry said.

St. Charles Madras currently serves an area of 21,000 people in Madras and its surroundings.

“This hospital services an area approximately 100 each direction north of Madras, east of Madras, west of Madras,” said Joe Krenowicz, executive director at the Madras Chamber of Commerce,.

“This is the first place that they come to after traveling for an hour or so,” Gentry said.

Some of the most pressing issues the hospital upgrade will solve include:

– Completely renovating the emergency room. Right now, it only has seven beds, which are separated by curtains.
– Adding a second operating room with new equipment.
– Renewing the plumbing and electrical system.

The building will also get one main entrance, more securely replacing the multiple entryways that have resulted from numerous additions over the years.

Many believe the expansion of the hospital will be a game-changer for the Madras community.

“Now we can have surgical procedures done in Madras, when typically we would have to come to Bend or sometimes even Redmond,” Krenowicz said.

Construction will start next May and is slated to be finished by mid-2016.