The emergency department at PeaceHealth's Sacred Heart Medical Center University District hospital campus in Eugene, Ore., will cease operations at 7 a.m. on Dec. 1.
People in the area can continue to seek emergency care at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend and McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, both in Springfield, Ore., or PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center in Cottage Grove, the health system said in a Dec. 24 news release.
Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth on Oct. 19 notified state officials about layoffs associated with Sacred Heart Medical Center University District. There are currently 463 caregivers on the hospital campus, with the health system looking to have opportunities for roughly 325 caregivers, displacing 129, according to a WARN notice.
PeaceHealth said it expects "some aspects" of the "underutilized" campus to be completely closed by Feb. 1.
"We're grateful for the many productive conversations over the past few months, both internally and within the community," James McGovern, MD, interim CEO and chief medical officer of the PeaceHealth Oregon network, said. "We are proud to maintain inpatient behavioral health and inpatient rehabilitation services without interruption and offer extended-hours urgent care services in a more centralized Eugene location."
The next step is to focus on renovation and process improvements at the RiverBend emergency department to reduce wait times and improve the patient experience.