Staffing issues forces PeaceHealth to close beds at two Eugene-area hospitals

By the Eugene Register-Guard

PeaceHealth will close dozens of hospital beds at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart RiverBend in Springfield and PeaceHealth Sacred Heart University District in Eugene. The hospital group also plans to shut down an entire medical unit at Riverbend.

This brings the total closed beds at both hospitals to about 87 out of the 455 the area hospitals are licensed for, according to the Oregon Nurses Association.

But PeaceHealth officials said the number of beds closed and the length of time they are closed will depend on staffing levels, adding that they anticipate the closures to last “a matter of months.”

In a statement, the nurse’s union said the closure will lead to higher turnover and increased vacancies as nurses leave due to the upheaval and uncertainty.

This hospital will also cancel or decline to renew contracts for 36 full-time travel nurses, according to the union.

In their statement, PeaceHealth officials said reducing reliance on high-cost temporary workers and recruiting local talent takes time. They said they have made 52 registered nurse hires since the beginning of February and are recruiting for 188 more at RiverBend.

“We are working to minimize impact to patients while continuing to meet the health needs of our communities,” the statement said.

They hope partnerships with Lane Community College and Bushnell University will help with finding trained staff.

PeaceHealth’s announcement comes less than two weeks after nurses held a rally outside Sacred Heart RiverBend to demand PeaceHealth executives address its staffing issues.

PeaceHealth Sacred Heart has nearly 300 nurse vacancies, which leaves emergency department patients waiting hours before seeing a provider or being admitted to the hospital, according to a statement from ONA.