Lane County and PeaceHealth Sacred Heart have announced a partnership which would bring new mental health services to Springfield.
The partners plan to purchase side-by-side parcels of land near the Riverbend hospital, and create a shared behavioral health campus there.
The site would include Lane County's new behavioral stabilization center, as well as a psychiatric hospital housing PeaceHealth’s inpatient services. Both of the facilities would open in around three years, according to project leaders.
Lane County is now holding a 90-day due diligence period before completing its purchase of the land, and it's seeking public input on the project.
Timber Springs Behavioral Health Hospital
PeaceHealth said its new hospital would help serve behavioral patients in Lane County locally, while reducing wait times.
Its inpatient unit is currently at the University District site in Eugene. But there aren’t enough beds there to meet demand, according to PeaceHealth SacredHeart at Riverbend Chief Administrative Officer Alicia Beymer.
At a press conference on Monday, Beymer said some people are having to stay in the Riverbend emergency room for long periods of time, before getting transferred to Portland.
“We know that the emergency department is not a therapeutic environment for any individual to wait for days for critical inpatient psychiatric care, especially our youth,” she said.
Beymer said the new hospital would significantly increase the number of beds in Sacred Heart's overall behavioral health unit, from 35 to 96.
At the same time, the inpatient behavioral unit at the University District would move entirely to Springfield.
Beymer said since many patients are already going to the Riverbend emergency room first, she doesn't believe the transition would create additional transportation needs for Eugene residents.
Lane Stabilization Center
Lane County said its new facility will offer 24-hour urgent care, a 23-hour observation unit, and residential beds for people who need multi-day mental healthcare.
The county said it will accept patients from Mobile Crisis Services of Lane County and similar programs. People needing long-term services could also be routed into PeaceHealth's new hospital.
At Monday's press conference, Lane County Sheriff Cliff Harrold said this facility would provide a much-needed space for first responders to take struggling people to.
Harrold said currently, there are often just two options, and neither are ideal: the emergency room or jail.
"Jail is not the place for folks to get help with their mental health crisis," he said.
Eve Gray, Lane County's Health & Human Services Director, said the new facility would provide person-centered and trauma-informed care.
Meanwhile, Gray said it could create hundreds of new jobs. She said the county is aware of the current shortage of behavioral crisis workers, and it's started work on a Workforce Development Plan.
"Our main priority is making sure we can effectively serve the growing and changing behavioral health care needs of the communities of Lane County for years to come," she said.
The county has received state and federal funding for the center, which it estimates will cost around $30 million to construct.
