First phase of Asante Three Rivers Medical Center’s new Emergency Department completed
Second phase renovation work now underway
The Emergency Department at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center officially doubled in size this month with the completion of the hospital’s newest expansion. Construction work is now being done to renovate the original Emergency Department.
“When it was first built about 20 years ago, the Emergency Department handled nearly 27,000 patient visits each year,” said Win Howard, senior vice president and CEO at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. “Now that the hospital’s Emergency Department is Oregon’s second busiest Level 3 trauma facility, that number is closer to 41,000 visits a year.”
To address the increasing demand for emergency medical care in Josephine County, the hospital has added 11 beds to its current 19, bringing the total to 30 in the Emergency Department. Of those, four are “flex rooms” for patients with behavioral health needs. A six-bed triage bay and two full-size trauma and resuscitation rooms were also added.
“Flex rooms allow potentially dangerous equipment to be secured behind a partition to keep the patient safe while in crisis,” said Chris David, MD, medical director of emergency services at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. “The larger trauma rooms allow our critical response teams the space they need to maneuver around the patient more efficiently.”
The expansion is funded in part by donations to Asante Foundation, which has a $3 million fundraising goal for this project. “The community has already generated more than $1.1 million for the expansion and to enhance health care in Josephine County,” said Andrea Reeder, Asante Foundation campaign director. “With the newly opened portion of the Emergency Department, our patients experience firsthand the benefits of the community’s generosity.”
The expansion includes a 19,000-square-foot addition to the existing structure for a total of 38,000 square feet; an additional 15 work stations for clinical staff for a total of 29; seven dictation spaces for physicians; and a larger, more comfortable waiting area for patients.
People who come to the Emergency Department now will receive care in the newly expanded area while the original Emergency Department is renovated. That work is expected to be completed in the fall. The cost of the project is about $12.7 million.
As renovation continues during the second phase, so does the opportunity to support this expansion. To learn more and get involved, visit AsanteFoundation.org.
