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Scores of patient beds set to close at PeaceHealth hospitals in Eugene and Springfield

A hospital bed with blue blanket and white pillow.
Bret Kavanaugh
/
Unsplash
Oregon Nurses Association counts the total number of closed patient beds planned by PeaceHealth hospitals in Eugene and Springfield will be approximately 87 out of the 455.

PeaceHealth will close dozens of hospital beds at Sacred Heart University District in Eugene and RiverBend Medical Center in Springfield. According to the Oregon Nurses Association, the total number of closed beds at both area hospitals will be about 87 out of the 455 they are licensed for.

In a statement, the nurse's union said the bed closures “will lead to higher turnover as nurses leave due to upheaval and uncertainty.”

In a response, PeaceHealth officials said the number of closed hospital beds will fluctuate daily, depending on staffing levels.

In their statement, PeaceHealth said it takes time to recruit regionally and that they’ve hired 52 registered nurses since the beginning of February and are recruiting for 188 more at RiverBend Medical Center.

Nurses hold signs and rally outside RiverBend hospital in Springfield.
Nathan Wilk
/
KLCC
Demanding better staffing, nurses with the Oregon Nurses Association rally outside Sacred Heart RiverBend Medical Center in Springfield on April 10, 2023.

The Oregon Nurses Association said the hospital group plans to shut down an entire medical unit at RiverBend. PeaceHealth stated Tuesday, it's yet to be determined whether the closed beds will be on one floor- or unit- or in multiple areas of the hospital.

ONA stated, in addition to closing beds in the area hospitals, PeaceHealth will also cancel or decline to renew contracts for 36 full-time travel nurses.

PeaceHealth officials said, “while it will take time, with a new contract for nurses and partnerships with Lane Community College and Bushnell University,” they are confident that vacant staff roles will be filled with “non-temporary labor.”

Announcements of the hospital bed cuts came less than two weeks after nurses rallied outside RiverBend Medical Center demanding more staffing and support from PeaceHealth executives.

Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in a variety of media including television, technical writing, photography and daily print news before moving to the Pacific Northwest.