St. Charles increases emergency capacity with new modular unit

Today, a new rapid medical evaluation unit with 12 patient treatment spaces is opening at St. Charles Bend to add much needed capacity to the busy Emergency Department. The new modular treatment spaces are designed for patients with a lower severity of health care needs. In addition to the 12 treatment spaces, the unit includes two bathrooms, a supply area and a nurses' station.

"As our Central Oregon community continues to grow at a rapid pace, our Emergency Department is often full, which can sometimes mean long waits for care or treatment in creative spaces like hallways, which is not ideal," said Stacy Youngs, Vice President of Operations for the Bend hospital campus. "The opening of this unit is an important first step while we continue to work on more permanent long-term solutions to address space constraints."

The health system's long-term goal is to nearly double the Bend Emergency Department capacity over the next two decades. Building new hospital space is an expensive and time-consuming process that can take many years to complete. The modular unit is just one way St. Charles is implementing outside-of-the-box solutions to provide more care to the community.

The new modular unit was funded in part through donations to St. Charles Foundation, which continues to fundraise for future expansion of the Emergency Department and other emergency services.

"We are grateful for the many members of our community who helped support the addition of this new unit and who are continuing to support future expansion for our emergency services across the system," said Youngs. "Because of your generosity, we've been able to care for our community through some of life's most difficult moments. We appreciate the ongoing support."