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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 23, 2003 Electrician Dave McClarnon installs wiring at the temporary building that will serve as the new emergency admitting office at Providence Medford Medical Center. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Providence begins big ER expansion The $5.4 million project responds to growing emergency-room use By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune They come with cuts and burns and poison oak, chest pains and broken bones, stubborn sore throats and babies that won’t stop crying. Hospital emergency departments see patients when nobody else can — or will. "The first place that’s available 24/7 is the emergency department," says Dr. Gordon Everett, director of emergency services at Providence Medford Medical Center. As Jackson County grows, Medford’s two hospitals have been hard-pressed to keep up with the demand for emergency medical care. Both Providence Medford Medical Center and Rogue Valley Medical Center will expand their emergency departments over the next two to three years to handle the growing volume of ER patients. Advertisement Providence recently started a $5.4 million construction project to prepare for doubling the size of its emergency department in 2005. Rogue Valley Medical Center will nearly triple its emergency floor space during its $90 million expansion and remodeling. In recent years, emergency hospital visits have grown about 8 percent per year at both Providence and RVMC. Providence served about 25,000 emergency patients during 2002; Rogue Valley saw about 33,500. Ashland Community Hospital, which has more limited emergency services, saw about 8,700 emergency patients during the 12 months between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002, and anticipates a similar volume for the year that ends June 30. Everett said population growth is just one of the factors swelling the ranks of emergency patients. The region’s senior population is growing steadily, and older people have more health problems than younger folks. People who can’t get in to see a doctor and those who have no health insurance also come to the emergency department. "The way health care is now, people have less access to a primary-care doctor," Everett says, noting that many hospitals across the United States are struggling with the same problems. Oregon’s budget problems have also increased the work load for emergency-room physicians and nurses. People who lost their health insurance under the Oregon Health Plan are coming to emergency rooms now, says Heather Freiheit, clinical manager for emergency services at RVMC. "Nobody will see them if they don’t have the ability to pay," Freiheit says, "so they come to the emergency room." Before the Providence emergency department can expand, the hospital will double the size of its medical laboratory, build a new site for its new MRI diagnostic-imaging machine, and create a new emergency-department waiting area. "The lab hasn’t grown in more than 10 years," says Mike Inscore, but the volume of work has increased dramatically as doctors order more tests for patients. Inscore says the emergency department generates nearly as many laboratory tests as the rest of the hospital combined. Siting the lab adjacent to the emergency department will help physicians provide speedy treatment because test results will be available faster. The new lab will take floor space that’s now used for Providence’s emergency department admitting area and waiting room. A new temporary building adjacent to the emergency entrance will serve as the admitting and waiting area by July 1, Everett said. "It kind of looks like a Dutch Brothers," Everett joked, noting the building’s dark gray walls and blue trim give it a resemblance to the popular drive-through coffee stands. Access to the Providence emergency department from Crater Lake Avenue will remain unchanged. Patients will enter the new admitting building immediately to the left of the existing emergency entrance. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities