The St. Charles Health System Board of Directors recently voted to approve a new scope for the tower project after a core team of caregivers spent time reviewing the plan to ensure the space would meet the most community needs possible the day it opens.
In July 2016 St. Charles Bend announced it will construct a new patient tower that will significantly increase its number of critical care beds—a project that positions the hospital to care for the communities it serves well into the next century.
The St. Charles Health System Board of Directors approved a $66 million project that includes the new patient tower, a new parking lot and second water line. Skanska and NBBJ Architects have been selected to complete the design and build.
Highlights of the new scope of direction for the tower include:
-The tower will be a three-story building
-Twenty-four ICU beds will be built on the first floor
-The second floor will have 28 inpatient beds
-Shell space will be constructed on the lower level
The current ICU will be reserved for future ICU expansion of eight beds if needed
“I’m proud of the team for taking the time to look at this project critically and coming back with an option that maximizes the $66 million, fulfills our commitment to provide greater critical care capacity to the region and results in more beds being available for less intensive care needs,” said Jenn Welander, chief financial officer for St. Charles Health System. “This new scope ensures we are meeting our patients’ needs, while also being fiscally responsible.”
Construction on the utility portion of the project will begin in early July. Portions of the Loop Road will be shut down over the next few months and caregivers will be asked to park in the new O and P lots on the east side of the hospital to save parking spaces near the Rehab entrance for patients.
The new tower is scheduled to open in spring of 2019.
“This project represents a significant investment in the future,” said Board Chair Dan Schuette. “It is a commitment by St. Charles to provide the high level of care our growing communities have come to expect.”
The largest construction project since the St. Charles Cancer Center, the new patient tower will be located north of the existing ICU with room for inpatient and emergency psychiatric services, a short-stay unit and space for additional critical care beds.
Importantly, the project also includes the addition of a 500-stall parking lot to more comfortably accommodate the growing number of people seeking services at the hospital, as well as a second water line to build redundancy into the hospital’s water supply.
“This project is so important for the future of health care in Central Oregon,” said Joe Sluka, president and CEO of St. Charles Health System. “We’re moving forward with a plan that will ensure we can continue to meet our patients’ needs for many years to come.”
The Bend hospital is experiencing capacity issues due partly to population growth and also because the health system has recruited more specialists in recent years that provide a higher level of complex care requiring intensive care hospital stays after surgery.
“Our vascular surgeon has patients coming from outside of the area to see him,” said Bob Gomes, president of St. Charles Bend and Redmond. “We are adding to our heart and lung team and expect to see additional patients for those specialists as well. We want to make sure we can accommodate all of the patients who come to us for complex care.”
