Having nearly outgrown the original Sacred Heart Medical Center campus in Eugene, Oregon, PeaceHealth opened Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend on August 10, 2008. This new facility is one of the Northwest's largest hospitals, with 386 patient beds and the only Level II trauma center in Lane County. This new 181 acre campus includes Surgical Services, the Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute, and Women's and Children's Services, including a 32-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric/Adolescent Unit. The hospital draws on Sacred Heart's seven-decade heritage of care in Eugene-Springfield while utilizing the latest in medical technology and evidence-based design to create a truly patient-centered environment dedicated to healing.
Sacred Heart at RiverBend is on the leading edge of evidence-based hospital design, featuring a patient-centered, healing environment with a strong focus on quality clinical outcomes and patient safety. SHMC is a health and wellness destination, complete with private rooms with spectacular views and a two-story atrium in the lobby to allow natural light into the interior of the building along with a fireplace to provide a warm lodge hearth-type atmosphere to help reduce stress. The principles of renewable and sustainable design, stewardship of the environment, responsible land-use and transportation planning, as well as the incorporation of public amenities and open spaces guided development at RiverBend. The project architect is Anshen+Allen Architects.
While waiting to begin construction on its new 440-bed regional medical facility, PeaceHealth installed ceiling lifts and booms in patient rooms in two units (ICU and Neurology) of its existing facility. After analyzing patient handling injuries, PeaceHealth has found that the use of ceiling lifts has virtually eliminated staff injuries caused from patient handling. Annual costs are approximately 83% lower than before the installation of the ceiling lifts. When these savings are applied house-wide, PeaceHealth estimates that it will get a return on its $1,639,695 investment in approximately 2.5 years in its new facility.
Publications:
- Joseph, A., & Fritz, L. (2006). Ceiling lifts reduce patient-handling injuries. Healthcare Design, 6(1), 10–13. “Ceiling lifts were installed three years ago in patient rooms in two units at SHMC. The goal of installing patient lifts in rooms was to reduce the incidence and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), excluding those related to slips, trips, and falls.”