Projects

COMPLETE THE MASTER FACILITIES RENOVATION

The plan has been on hold for over three years because of fiscal constraints at the Corporate national level. Adding urgency to the need to expand and update the surgical operating rooms, Mercy also needs to expand the capacity of our Emergency Department. We see 45,000 patients per year but only have twenty-six rooms which results in moving many patients under observation status on the medical floor under the care of hospitalists, adding to the workload of nursing staff. The additional rooms would allow ED physicians to manage the patients before discharging them directly from the observation unit.

 

There is a need to expand the Shaw Heart and Vascular Center with another Cath Lab and upgrade obsolete equipment.  Currently, we replace equipment only when it is in an emergency cycle. Division leadership makes all capital decisions in consultation with national leadership.

 

A third lab would allow us not to send patients out of the area for treatment and testing. The Foundation has raised 30% of the needed funds for a third Cath Lab thus far. However, additional capital is needed because of the limited number of foundations who fund capital equipment and few local donors with sufficient means.

 

PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is a priority in order to address the on-going shortage of medical providers common in rural hospitals. The specialties where shortages are especially acute include Cardiology, Urology, Neurology, Orthopedics and ENT. As a federally designated medically underserved area, Physician Recruitment is even more of an urgent need than ever. Mercy Medical Center in partnership with AVIVA health (our local FQHC) secured a $750,000 HRSA grant for the Rural Residency Program in 2019.  Recruitment is a community challenge not just for the hospital. Bringing new providers will help attract other skilled professionals to our area and assist in the economic relief we so desperately need as our major industry, timber, has shifted outwardly to other areas of the nation and Canada.

 

IMPROVING HEALTH METRICS

We are working with the hospital to increase access to oral health care with the use of an Expanded Practice Dental Hygienist (EPDH). The EPDH will work with medical staff to provide oral health care to patients, educate staff on the implications of good oral hygiene on chronic disease, and coordinate with Discharge Planners to assist patients with a follow-up dental care plan and connection to a permanent dental home.

 

Embedding an EPDH in the hospital aligns with our goal to address two of the social determinants of health: poverty and access to care. In addition to providing patient-centered care, the EPDH will meet the Coordinated Care Organization’s (CCO) health metrics for oral health. Outcomes include reducing the risk of hospital acquired pneumonia and infections; utilizing evidence-based prevention strategies to improve oral health and increase long-term access to dental care with connection to care planning; empowering clinicians with knowledge and skills to more effectively care for patients; and ultimately lowering health care costs and increasing patient satisfaction.

 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Our Community Health Needs Assessment identified mental health as an on-going health need. Mercy Medical Center is working to reestablish a Behavioral Health Unit in an existing building on the hospital grounds that will accommodate twelve beds. New requirements mandated by the state of Oregon has stalled the project.  We are working with the State to grandfather our current structure so we can move forward with reestablishing this much needed service for our community.