NEWPORT — Nuclear medicine services will be offered at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital beginning Tuesday, April 2, after a transfer of equipment and staff from Lincoln City.
The Lincoln City hospital, also operated by Corvallis-based Samaritan Health Services, closed its nuclear medicine program Friday, March 22. Staff will remain the same and work in Newport.
The department’s move from Lincoln City to Newport has to do with hospital size and the reach of the service, said Virginia Riffle, chief operations officer at the Lincoln City hospital.
Samaritan Pacific recently moved into a $63 million three-story building in Newport and is now remodeling a portion of the adjacent, old hospital. Samaritan is also constructing a new, $42 million hospital in Lincoln City, set to open next year.
“After considering new equipment needs, space requirements, and patient access needs, we decided it makes sense to transfer the nuclear medicine service line to Newport,” said Riffle.
Nuclear medicine uses a sophisticated camera that, along with very small amounts of radioactive material, provides accurate images of internal organs. Those images enable clinicians to better diagnose a variety of diseases, including types of cancer, heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, spinal issues and other abnormalities in the body. The procedure is safe and carries risks similar to a common X-ray.
Because the staff operating the equipment remains the same, the transition is expected to be relatively seamless, said Jane Russell, chief operations officer of the Newport hospital.
“While there will be a period of about one week of downtime in service as we move and recalibrate additional related equipment from one hospital to the other, we expect a smooth transition for our patients,” Russell said.
They may be making medical improvements but they have dumped the Hospice services and Home Health. These will be left to For profit companies.