PeaceHealth Medical Center at RiverBend will permanently close its pediatric cardiology clinic as of July 21. Hospital administration gave the medical staff a 90-day notice to transition the care of hundreds of young patients.
Pediatric cardiologist Misty Carlson and a partner treat about 200 children and teens with heart conditions at the clinic each month. Heart conditions in pediatrics vary: congenital heart defects, abnormal heart rhythms, problems following heart surgery.
When clinic staff got word on April 21 that the practice would shut down, Carlson said they started scrambling to help parents find alternative care for their young patients.
“There’s no other pediatric cardiology clinic either in Lane County or even the surrounding counties like Douglas or Coos or Linn-Benton,” she said. “We’re really the only pediatric cardiologists that serve that area. So, if any of our patients need care, because we’re not here, they’re probably most likely gonna travel to Portland.”
Carlson said about 60% of her pediatric cardiology patients are on Oregon Health Plan.
In a statement, hospital officials said PeaceHealth is "actively responding to challenges faced by healthcare organizations across the United States. As always, we are also adjusting operations and services to reflect changes in our communities and ensure we are being responsible to our healing Mission into the future."
Hospital officials included a listing of soon-to-be-shuttered PeaceHealth services. Specifically, the sleep clinic in Springfield, the pediatric cardiology clinic in Springfield, and the optometry clinic and optical shop in Eugene will permanently close on July 21, 2023. And they said, “69 positions have been eliminated in the PeaceHealth Oregon network.”
PeaceHealth officials stated they are “notifying patients and will help them find alternatives for care where available.”
