(Eugene, Ore.) – The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) issued the following statement regarding the recent decision by PeaceHealth executives in Vancouver, Washington to close dozens of hospital beds at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Riverbend in Springfield and PeaceHealth Sacred Heart University District in Eugene and to shut down an entire medical unit at Riverbend. 

PeaceHealth executives are choosing to cancel or decline to renew contracts for 36 full time travel nurses at Sacred Heart as part of a systemwide effort to increase PeaceHealth’s profits. This will result in PeaceHealth closing down 30 new beds in addition to beds that have been closed for the past several months. This brings the total closed beds at both hospitals to approximately 87 out of the 455 the hospitals are licensed for. 

PeaceHealth’s announcement comes less than two weeks after local ONA nurses held a rally outside Sacred Heart Riverbend to demand PeaceHealth executives address its staffing crisis and give frontline nurses and patients the support and conditions they need to thrive. PeaceHealth Sacred Heart has nearly 300 nurse vacancies–leaving emergency department patients and their loved ones waiting hours before seeing a provider or being admitted to the hospital. The staffing crisis also delays emergency response time in our community as ambulances are forced to wait in line to check patients into the hospital due to a lack of staff. The closure of the medical unit at Riverbend, while meant to be temporary, will lead to higher turnover and increased vacancies as nurses leave due to the upheaval and uncertainty resulting from PeaceHealth’s short sighted decision. 

“This decision puts profits ahead of the people. PeaceHealth executives in Washington should be ashamed. They are cutting your care to fatten their bottom line. 

Nurses have been telling PeaceHealth to invest in our community’s health care for years. We know they can afford it. PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center Riverbend has been one of the most profitable hospitals in the nation and PeaceHealth’s top executives enjoyed 42% average annual salary increases from 2017-2021.

PeaceHealth’s CEO should have to fly down from Vancouver to look my patients in the eye and explain why they have to wait another 12 hours to get the care they need. PeaceHealth has its hand in our community’s back pocket. Once it’s got what it wants it’s happy to wash its hands of us.

It’s high time for PeaceHealth to do the right thing. We need safe staffing and a fair contract agreement that invests in our community’s health care and helps us recruit and retain the frontline nurses our community counts on,” said ONA Vice-Chair Kevyn Paul, an emergency department nurse at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart University District.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents 1,500 frontline nurses at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center and Sacred Heart Home Care Services. Both groups are currently in contract negotiations with PeaceHealth. 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is the state’s largest and most influential nursing organization. We are a professional association and labor union which represents more than 16,000 nurses and allied health workers throughout the state. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information visit: www.OregonRN.org.

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